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U.S.
Army
Major
Robert
Eldridge
enlisted
in
December,
1986,
joining
the
Special
Forces
Reserves.
"My
father
was in
special
forces
and I
knew
quite a
few
people
in
Special
Forces.
I liked
it. It
sounded
like
what I
wanted
to do,
so I
pursued
it," he
said.
In 1997
he was
commissioned
as an
infantry
officer,
where he
served
briefly
before
rejoining
Special
Forces
as an
officer
as well.
In
November
of 2004
Eldridge
deployed
to
Afghanistan
for what
should
have
been a
deployment
that
lasted
many
months.
But on
Dec. 17,
2004
while
conducting
a
patrol,
Eldridge's
vehicle,
which
was
leading
the
patrol,
hit an
Improvised
Explosive
Device.
Eldridge
was
seriously
injured,
but the
medic on
his
team,
who had
been
driving
the
vehicle
was able
to begin
treating
him just
minutes
after
the
explosion.
And
within
30
minutes
was been
evacuated
by a
Blackhawk,
he said.
Eldridge's
leg had
to be
amputated
as a
result
of the
injuries,
and he
spent
six
months
recovering
in
Walter
Reed
Medical
Center.
Though
Eldridge
had the
option
to
retire
after
his
injury,
he
fought
to stay
in the
Army.
"I could
have
medically
retired
but I
fought
to stay
in," he
said.
The
benefits
of being
in
Special
Operations,
he said,
was the
support
he
received
from
other
Special
Operations
Soldiers
up and
down the
chain of
command,
who
visited
him when
he was
in the
hospital
in
Afghanistan
and at
Walter
Reed.
"I
wanted
to go
back,"
he said,
"and my
group
commander
and
battalion
supported
my
coming
back."
They
were
following
his
recovery,
making
sure he
was ok,
and
seeing
if he
wanted
to stay
in or
not. In
particular,
he said,
he
benefitted
from a
Special
Operations
wounded
warrior
program
called
the Care
Coalition.
Eldridge
also had
the
support
of his
family
throughout
his
recovery
and
decision
to stay
in the
Army.
They met
him when
he
arrived
at
Walter
Reed on
December
19,
2004, he
said.
Eldridge's
family
"absolutely"
supported
his
going
back to
Special
Operations,
he said.
"When I
showed
up I
told
them I
was
going
back to
my unit,
and they
thoroughly
supported
me
through
the
entire
process,
he said.
Eldridge
redeployed
to
Afghanistan
in March
of 2007.
"Within
a month
and a
half of
getting
back to
my unit,
I
started
conducting
airborne
operations
again,"
he said.
He said,
"it was
a good
deployment.
I got to
stay the
whole
time."
Eldridge
earned a
Bronze
Star
with
‘Valor'
and a
Purple
Heart
for the
events
of
December
17,
2004. |
