Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Injured Vets Seeking Closure Return to Iraq

Operation Proper Exit reveals war's progress to wounded

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 15, 2009 4:58 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – The military has been aiding injured veterans to return to Iraq to help them find closure and assure them that their sacrifices were worth it. Operation Proper Exit—believed to be the first such program to facilitate vets' return to a battlefield while a war is still in progress—has had a "phenomenal" effect on the wounded veterans, one commander tells the New York Times. "Some of them said their night terrors stopped after they went," he said.

The idea of returning to Iraq came from the injured troops themselves. Some of the vets, used to the the sounds of exploding IEDs and mortar fire, are astounded at how quiet military bases in Iraq now seem. "It’s an honor to be here and see the progress. We gave a lot for your country and we’re glad for it,” one lieutenant who lost a leg told an Iraqi general. ”You should wear your wounds like badges on your chest,” the general replied.

Soldiers wounded in combat while deployed to Iraq walk through Hero's Highway at an Air Force Theater Hospital before returning to Camp Victory.
Soldiers wounded in combat while deployed to Iraq walk through "Hero's Highway" at an Air Force Theater Hospital before returning to Camp Victory.   (Department of Defence)
Soldiers participating in Operation Proper Exit board a C-130 aircraft head to Forward Operating Base Sykes outside of Tal Afar, Iraq.
Soldiers participating in Operation Proper Exit board a C-130 aircraft head to Forward Operating Base Sykes outside of Tal Afar, Iraq.   (Department of Defence)
Service Members from Camp Victory, Iraq, welcome the Wounded Warriors of Operation Proper Exit II during a ceremony in the rotunda of Al Faw Palace.
Service Members from Camp Victory, Iraq, welcome the Wounded Warriors of Operation Proper Exit II during a ceremony in the rotunda of Al Faw Palace.   (Department of Defense)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
armywife
Oct 15, 2009 10:02 AM CDT
i am so glad to hear of this!
US • Science • World

 
Iraq • veterans • US military • Wounded Warriors • PTSD • Iraq veterans • Iraq war • injured

More Newser Stories

'Vets for Weed' Swipes Logo, Sparks Melee

No Jail Time for Marine in Iraqi Civilian Killings

Iraq Seeks Return of Saddam's Bronze Butt

One US Army Reservist Still Missing in Iraq

US Hangs Iraqi Translators Out to Dry
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne