"In typical cavalry trooper fashion and U.S. Army warrior fashion, his first words were 'How's my team?'" said DiSalvo Monday during a
Purple Heart medal-pinning ceremony for Spc. Charlie Lemon at the 3rd Cavalry Regiment Memorial.
"Wow. What do you say to that?" DiSalvo recalled thinking.
But the brigadier general didn't have to say anything. Lemon's mother, Cherl Towns, who traveled with her son from a military hospital in Germany, gave DiSalvo a hug.
She also gave him a red, white a blue card with a note thanking him for his service.
DiSalvo took the same card out of his blouse pocket on Monday, and told the crowd of Lemon's fellow soldiers, friends and family that he'd kept it there since their meeting as a reminder of selfless service.
"Now, to ROTC and to anybody who listens, I talk about Spc. Lemon and his mother," said DiSalvo. In turn, he presented Lemon his copy of the June 22 MEDEVAC patient roster.
"(Burn) that damn thing up," said DiSalvo, as Lemon grinned. Towns gave DiSalvo another hug, completing a circle that highlighted how far Lemon has come since he was injured in Iraq.
'Prove us wrong'
On June 8, Lemon was out on a mission in the Shia stronghold of Najaf with fellow Thunder Squadron, then-3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment troopers. Without notice, his armored vehicle was struck by a triple-array explosively formed penetrator. The blast killed the vehicle's driver, Pvt. Matthew J. England, and all but severed Lemon's legs, in his position as gunner. Without a driver, the vehicle accelerated until it ran into a building. Following the crash, two other troopers, Spc. Jeffrey Alt and Spc. Michael Murray, guarded the vehicle and applied tourniquets to Lemon's legs until help arrived.
Lemon said he woke up six days later at a hospital in Germany. A week after that, he was flown back to Fort Hood for surgery in Central Texas. There, the first of many stateside doctors told him he would never stand again, let alone walk.
But Lemon, 29, has been walking since January, when he received his first prosthesis at Brooke Army Medical Center's Center for the Intrepid, the military's premier rehabilitation facility for burn victims and amputees.
(My doctors) said there wasn't a point and that it wasn't very logical even try to walk," he said. "But they also said 'Try to prove us wrong.' And that's exactly what I did."
'True inspiration'
Indeed, Lemon walked to the front of the memorial Monday to receive his Purple Heart from DiSalvo and stood for nearly an hour to greet dozens upon dozens of ceremony-goers who wished to shake his hand.
Among the well-wishers was Col. John B. Richardson IV, 3rd Cavalry Regimental commander.
"It really brought home that the Army is family," Richardson said of hearing DiSalvo's story. "And not just the soldier, but that the soldier's family is part of the greater Army family."
Although Lemon is no longer on the rolls of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Richardson added, he'll always be a part of the unit.
Capt. David Griffith, former commander of Maddog Company, to which Lemon was assigned during his deployment, agreed.
"Lemon represents the very best of his generation and embodies the spirit of the American soldier," having joined the Army knowing he'd be put in harm's way, said the captain.
Also present was Murray, the specialist who helped save Lemon's life in Iraq 11 months earlier.
Murray, whom DiSalvo presented with his own Purple Heart earlier this year, told Lemon, "You're a true inspiration to me."
"I have all the respect in the world for him," said Murray, 20, adding he wasn't sure Lemon would survive 11 months ago, let alone thrive. "I don't even have words for it. To see that nothing is holding him back now is mind-boggling."
Lemon called his recovery "a 100-step process." But already he's advanced from walking on 12-inch prosthetic legs to full-length legs with mechanized knees. Soon, he'll receive a prosthesis with motorized legs, custom-made to accommodate the hip socket on one side of his body and the inch of remaining femur on the other.
Motivating
Lemon also has been SCUBA diving since his injury and is planning on sky-diving with custom equipment in the near future.
He's taken up hand-cycling since his injury, too. Although he said he hadn't been on a bike since he was a kid, he's become so good so fast at his new sport that he's in the process of qualifying for the military paralympic team.
One thing Lemon hadn't done in a while was wear his Army combat uniform, which he paired with a pair of white Nike sneakers for the ceremony.
"This is the first time I've worn this since my injury," said Lemon, 29, gesturing toward his uniform, decorated with the purple and gold honor. "It's nice to put it back on."
Lemon's sister, Kimberly, also could soon be wearing a military uniform. The 25-year-old moved from the family's native Florida to stay by her brother's side in San Antonio, and said the experience has made her want to become a Navy physical therapist.
"It's very motivating," she said of her brother's recovery. "But he makes it easy for us to support him as a family. He tells us everything's OK. That probably makes it harder on him, but he doesn't show it."
Contact Colleen Flaherty at colleenf@kdhnews.comor (254) 501-7559. Follow her on Twitter at KDHFortHood.
"Wow. What do you say to that?" DiSalvo recalled thinking.
But the brigadier general didn't have to say anything. Lemon's mother, Cherl Towns, who traveled with her son from a military hospital in Germany, gave DiSalvo a hug.
She also gave him a red, white a blue card with a note thanking him for his service.
DiSalvo took the same card out of his blouse pocket on Monday, and told the crowd of Lemon's fellow soldiers, friends and family that he'd kept it there since their meeting as a reminder of selfless service.
"Now, to ROTC and to anybody who listens, I talk about Spc. Lemon and his mother," said DiSalvo. In turn, he presented Lemon his copy of the June 22 MEDEVAC patient roster.
"(Burn) that damn thing up," said DiSalvo, as Lemon grinned. Towns gave DiSalvo another hug, completing a circle that highlighted how far Lemon has come since he was injured in Iraq.
'Prove us wrong'
On June 8, Lemon was out on a mission in the Shia stronghold of Najaf with fellow Thunder Squadron, then-3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment troopers. Without notice, his armored vehicle was struck by a triple-array explosively formed penetrator. The blast killed the vehicle's driver, Pvt. Matthew J. England, and all but severed Lemon's legs, in his position as gunner. Without a driver, the vehicle accelerated until it ran into a building. Following the crash, two other troopers, Spc. Jeffrey Alt and Spc. Michael Murray, guarded the vehicle and applied tourniquets to Lemon's legs until help arrived.
Lemon said he woke up six days later at a hospital in Germany. A week after that, he was flown back to Fort Hood for surgery in Central Texas. There, the first of many stateside doctors told him he would never stand again, let alone walk.
But Lemon, 29, has been walking since January, when he received his first prosthesis at Brooke Army Medical Center's Center for the Intrepid, the military's premier rehabilitation facility for burn victims and amputees.
(My doctors) said there wasn't a point and that it wasn't very logical even try to walk," he said. "But they also said 'Try to prove us wrong.' And that's exactly what I did."
'True inspiration'
Indeed, Lemon walked to the front of the memorial Monday to receive his Purple Heart from DiSalvo and stood for nearly an hour to greet dozens upon dozens of ceremony-goers who wished to shake his hand.
Among the well-wishers was Col. John B. Richardson IV, 3rd Cavalry Regimental commander.
"It really brought home that the Army is family," Richardson said of hearing DiSalvo's story. "And not just the soldier, but that the soldier's family is part of the greater Army family."
Although Lemon is no longer on the rolls of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Richardson added, he'll always be a part of the unit.
Capt. David Griffith, former commander of Maddog Company, to which Lemon was assigned during his deployment, agreed.
"Lemon represents the very best of his generation and embodies the spirit of the American soldier," having joined the Army knowing he'd be put in harm's way, said the captain.
Also present was Murray, the specialist who helped save Lemon's life in Iraq 11 months earlier.
Murray, whom DiSalvo presented with his own Purple Heart earlier this year, told Lemon, "You're a true inspiration to me."
"I have all the respect in the world for him," said Murray, 20, adding he wasn't sure Lemon would survive 11 months ago, let alone thrive. "I don't even have words for it. To see that nothing is holding him back now is mind-boggling."
Lemon called his recovery "a 100-step process." But already he's advanced from walking on 12-inch prosthetic legs to full-length legs with mechanized knees. Soon, he'll receive a prosthesis with motorized legs, custom-made to accommodate the hip socket on one side of his body and the inch of remaining femur on the other.
Motivating
Lemon also has been SCUBA diving since his injury and is planning on sky-diving with custom equipment in the near future.
He's taken up hand-cycling since his injury, too. Although he said he hadn't been on a bike since he was a kid, he's become so good so fast at his new sport that he's in the process of qualifying for the military paralympic team.
One thing Lemon hadn't done in a while was wear his Army combat uniform, which he paired with a pair of white Nike sneakers for the ceremony.
"This is the first time I've worn this since my injury," said Lemon, 29, gesturing toward his uniform, decorated with the purple and gold honor. "It's nice to put it back on."
Lemon's sister, Kimberly, also could soon be wearing a military uniform. The 25-year-old moved from the family's native Florida to stay by her brother's side in San Antonio, and said the experience has made her want to become a Navy physical therapist.
"It's very motivating," she said of her brother's recovery. "But he makes it easy for us to support him as a family. He tells us everything's OK. That probably makes it harder on him, but he doesn't show it."
Contact Colleen Flaherty at colleenf@kdhnews.comor (254) 501-7559. Follow her on Twitter at KDHFortHood.
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