Hammer Brigade Infantryman Inspires During Recovery

Saul Martinez rides an arm bike at the No Limitations Festival for amputees and paraplegics, in Lake Tahoe, Calif., July 18.

SPC. BEN HUTTO
3RD HBCT, 3RD INF. DIV.
FOB HAMMER – On May 8, an explosively-formed projectile struck a U.S. Army vehicle, killing two of the three Soldiers inside.

The gunner, Spc. Saul Martinez, 22, of Bloomington, Calif., an infantryman with Headquarters Troop, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, was the only survivor.

“When we pulled up to the vehicle, it was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Henderson, of Vidor, Texas, Martinez’s section sergeant in HHT. “I thought for sure everyone in the vehicle was dead.”

Henderson and Pfc. Stephanie Mc-Culley, of Uniontown, Pa., a combat medic with HHT, immediately began working to get Martinez cut out of the gunner’s harness and get him stabilized.

“When I put my hand under his (Interceptor Body Armor vest), I was praying that he was breathing,” McCulley said. “I was worried about a million things. I was trying to keep him talking so he wouldn’t go unconscious again. In the back of my mind, I was worried he would lose his legs, but I just focused on what I was doing.”

Henderson also kept talking to Martinez. “He tried to give me a bracelet to give to his wife,” Henderson said. “I took it, but kept telling him that he could give it to her when he saw her. He just kept saying, ‘Make sure she gets it.’ I told him I would just to keep him talking. I knew if he went to sleep he might go into a coma and not ever wake up again.”

Martinez’s legs were both severely damaged, suffering multiple lacerations and shrapnel wounds. He was strapped to a backboard and taken by helicopter to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad’s International Zone.

Martinez was heavily sedated for nine days after the incident while doctors removed one of his legs. He does not remember his stay in Baghdad or Germany, the two locations to which he was medically evacuated.

“I woke up and Sarah (his wife) was next to me at Walter Reed,” Martinez said. “The doctors told me I was on the verge of dying every hour of every day. They explained that they had to put me under so they could control my body. I was really close to not being here.”

Two days after waking up, Martinez was given the decision on whether to keep his other leg or have it amputated. “Before I woke up, the doctors were trying to get Sarah to give them permission to amputate it, but she wanted me to make that decision,” he said. “Twodays after I woke up, they explained that I would not be able to roll my heel, move my toes or walk on it. I told them I would rather be up walking with my wife on two fake legs than limping through life on a peg leg. I think they were surprised, but it really wasn’t that hard a decision.”

Initially, it was hard news for many Soldiers back at FOB Hammer. “I started crying,” cCulley said. “I felt terrible for him. It wasn’t until I talked to him that I felt better. He told me, ‘I made the decision to walk again. I can heal now.’ He helped me realize it was the best decision for him.”

Soon after his last surgery, Martinez was transferred to the Naval Medical Center in Balboa, Calif., to begin his physical therapy. “The surgical therapy has been fantastic here,” he said. “We do therapy for three hours a day, every day. They have worked really hard getting my core strong so I can have good balance. We do everything. Arm bikes, abdominal work, push-ups, dips, pull-ups are just a few things in a typical session. It’s a lot of fun.”

Lt. Col. Ryan J. Kuhn, of Clarks, Neb., deputy commander, 3rd HBCT, visited Martinez at the Naval Medical Center while on leave and was impressed with how far he had come.

“I had never visited wounded Soldiers before, and to be honest, I was somewhat nervous,” Kuhn said. “I did not know if they would be down or depressed. To my surprise and betterment, what I found was exactly the opposite. Martinez should be the role model for all of us as Soldiers. He was upbeat and excited. I sensed a great deal of strength and determination in him. He didn’t speak about himself at all. It was always about other people, like his wife or his fellow Soldiers.”

Spc. Andrew Ortman, of Baltimore, Md., who has served in the same platoon with Martinez since he came to 3rd HBCT, said Martinez’s wife, Sarah, has played a major role in his recovery. “She has been there to support me with everything,” Martinez said. “She is 100 percent behind me with everything. With her, there is no way I was going to let my legs keep me from living my life. She means too much to me to quit now. If I didn’t have her, I couldn’t do this. She’s been a rock through all of this.”

With his work ethic and wife’s support, Martinez’s recovery has been remarkable. In four short months, he has started walking on his new legs. When told about where he is in his recovery, Martinez’s platoon mates were surprised and happy.

“I didn’t think he would be walking in four months,” Henderson said. “He was in really bad shape when we put him on that bird. I figured he would be recovering, but not walking. His determination has made that happen. I think that says a lot about him.”

Kuhn said Martinez has more planned than just walking, however. “He plans to remain on active duty and continue to serve his country any way possible,” Kuhn said. “He wants to ensure young Soldiers that come into the Army understand the importance of training.” “He’s a Soldier,” McCulley said. “He’s always been a Soldier. He still believes in what he does after everything he’s been through.”

Martinez has geared his rehabilitation for the express purpose of not only staying in, but coming back stronger. “I want to come back to Kelley Hill (home of the 3rd HBCT),” he said. “I think I can still help the Army and do everything I could before. I want to be able to do my job and show everyone that everything is OK. If I could motivate one Soldier, I would be happy. There is life, no matter what happens. I was hurt doing something I was proud to do and I’m looking forward to coming back. I can be a better infantryman than I was before.”