Gary Pfleider doesn't remember much of what happened after he got shot. The former Oregon National Guard soldier was in a truck on patrol in Iraq in 2007 when a bullet tore through his left leg.
"I remember grabbing ahold of my leg and realizing I had blood on my hands," Pfleider told KVAL-TV. "And from that point on, until I got loaded onto the Stryker, it was just a big blur."
Pfleider flew back to the states and recuperated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. One-third of the muscle in his leg is gone and he'll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life.
And according to the government, he also has some debts to repay.
Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/06/soldier_gary_pfleider_shot_by.php
"I remember grabbing ahold of my leg and realizing I had blood on my hands," Pfleider told KVAL-TV. "And from that point on, until I got loaded onto the Stryker, it was just a big blur."
Pfleider flew back to the states and recuperated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he was awarded the Purple Heart. One-third of the muscle in his leg is gone and he'll have to wear a brace for the rest of his life.
And according to the government, he also has some debts to repay.
Last June, the Army sent Pfleider a bill for more than $3,000. Technically, the clothes and weapons his unit had to leave behind after he got shot were the responsibility of his commanding officers.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2010/06/soldier_gary_pfleider_shot_by.php