Currently reading
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel. About a battalion that went over specifically for the surge in Iraq and the ####hole they were dumped in to. Really good read. I just finished a the chapter where the Lieutenant Colonel in charge went back on leave to visit some of his wounded soldiers in the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. This is where a lot of the severely burned and multiple amputations go for recovery. Incredible part of the book.
The most severely wounded was Duncan Crookston. During September of 2008 he was riding in a humvee that was hit with an EFP (explosively formed projectile which are incredibly nasty devices designed solely to slice through armor). The EFP immediately severed both of his legs, his right arm, his left hand and the resulting fire took his lips, ears, eyelids and burned pretty much his entire body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. To say it was a miracle that he survived the initial explosion is an understatement. Only 2 other personal, at the time, had ever survived with those kind of injuries. Crookston was not expected to live but after 30 surgeries the doctors simply quit telling his wife & mother what his chances were. They all agreed that he was a living miracle at that point and simply hoped for the best every time an operation happened. The chapter details the visit and what life was like for his new 19 year old wife and mother who had lived at the facility for the last 6 months 24/7 caring for Duncan. The Lieutenant Colonel returns to Iraq and two days in received an email from Duncan's mother that he had died. Duncan Crookston was 19 when he died, he got married 6 weeks before he left for Iraq.
I don't typically tear up reading a book but couldn't help it last night. One of the best chapters I've ever read.