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Monday, October 01, 2007
"I'm just a soldier. I'm not a hero,"
Captain Trevor Greene, someone you should know.
For the captain these days, progress is measured in inches.
The miniscule flutter in Capt. Trevor Greene's legs last week may seem infinitesimal, but it's the first sign that the B.C. soldier and former journalist, author and entrepreneur may one day walk again.
"He is so determined," says Debbie Lepore, Greene's fiancée. "His main goal is walking. We're a long, long, long way off from that, but that's his main goal."
It's been a year and a half since an Afghan teen buried an axe deep into Greene's head, leaving him immobile and unable to speak.Greene was at a meeting with village elders in March 2006 when he took off his helmet and laid down his weapon out of respect. Moments later, a crazed teen leaped out of the crowd and attacked Greene. His fellow soldiers shot the attacker dead.
The brutal blow left Greene with a brain injury that affected his motor skills, but not his cognitive capacity. And it is sheer mental determination that is seeing him through his second mission of recovery.
Last week, friends and family in Vancouver showed their own support by holding a fundraiser to help Greene's family cope with expenses not covered by the military.
Remarkably, in spite of the immobility and the minute-by-minute struggles of daily life, Greene wants Canadians to know that he'd go back in a heartbeat.
"We cannot give in to terrorists," Greene says in a barely audible whisper over the phone from Alberta.
He staunchly believes that success is possible in Afghanistan, that Canada needs to stay the course, but adds that "it's time for another NATO country to step up and take the lead."
Posted by Leah Dowe on October 1, 2007 | Permalink
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Comments
A true Canadian hero and role model. May God bless him, his family and loved ones.
Posted by: Alain | 2007-10-01 11:54:33 AM
But. . . but Taliban Jack knows better than our fighting men on site about how to deal with Afghanistan, no?
NO!!!
Posted by: obc | 2007-10-01 12:00:56 PM
Here's an example of a real civilian hero:
"Defying threats, Swedish artist wants to turn prophet cartoon into musical"
He's offended Muslims worldwide and al-Qaida wants him dead but Swedish artist Lars Vilks said Monday he has no regrets about portraying the Prophet Muhammad as a dog.
Vilks, 61, told al-Associated Press he even plans to convert the row over his prophet drawings into a musical, with prominent roles depicting Iran's president, Sweden's prime minister and al-Qaida terrorists.
I'M SURE CBC WILL lead the news this evening with this story of bravery!
Posted by: obc | 2007-10-01 4:23:51 PM
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