Here is a story of a soldier who never gives up. SGT Denhardt, thank you for sharing and being an inspiration! NEVER SURRENDER, NEVER FORGET April 19th, 2012 is the day my life changed forever. My name is David Denhardt, and I am a survivor. Allow me to take you along on my journey, that lead up to my new and wonderful life. It all started in the spring of 1990 when I decided I wanted to join the United States Marine Corps. In the fall of 1991, I set off for the longest 3 months of my life. Having never been away from home more than a few weeks for summer sports camps, I had no idea what was in store. There were many times that I thought I would not survive. That is when I learned that I could accomplish anything I put my heart and mind too. It would be the first time my life greatly changed, but not the last. After completing my contract with the Marine Corps, I returned to Michigan to be with my family. They owned a flower store in Rochester Hills. The transition was difficult. For many years I worked many different jobs. Not sure what I wanted to do with my life, I was on a downward spiral. There was one thing that was always on my mind, getting back into the Military. I met the love of my life Memorial Day weekend in 2008. Jennifer had a daughter, Madison, who was 2 months old at the time. My world revolves around them. Everything I do is for their future. After dating for a little over 2 years, Jennifer and I married on September 25th, 2010. I knew at that time I needed to find what it is that I want to do with my life to provide the best future for my daughter. That is when I knew it was time to look into the Military again. After talking with recruiters from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, it became clear that it was not going to be easy at the age of 38. Finally I met with a National Guard Recruiter who was interested in talking with me. So, March of 2011, I signed the contract to become an Infantryman in the Michigan Army National Guard. I joined my new unit in May of 2011. Since I was a prior service Marine, I did not go to Army basic training. I went straight to my unit. Our first drill we went on a 6 mile ruck march. I was out of shape and thought that this was going to be a lot of fun. It was easier that I thought it was going to be. Even after more than 10 years out of the Military, I felt comfortable and things came back to me quickly. I felt like I was home again. October of 2011, my unit was mobilized for a deployment to Afghanistan. We were sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. A couple weeks later we learned that nearly half of our battalion was being sent home. The mission had changed and they needed less bodies. Another unit from Michigan was in need of bodies. They asked for some of the soldiers being sent home from out infantry unit to help out with a cavalry unit. I was one of those soldiers. Nothing better than just getting to know the guys you were planning to deploy with, then having to join a new group to get to know in a few short months. The new unit was actually the support unit for the Calvary Squadron. It was a different world from what we were used to in the infantry. It took some time to adjust to a different pace. We were now working with cooks, mechanics and truck drivers. Our task was to help train these soldiers and prepare them for an infantry mission. This was not going to be an easy task, but nothing is easy in the military. After a few months, we all got along and were looking forward to our close approaching departure to Afghanistan. In January of 2012, half of our unit left. The rest of us would follow in February. I was one of the lucky ones to hang back and continue training. Our mission would start in a month. February of 2012, we finally departed Camp Shelby and began our journey to Afghanistan. The fun was about to begin. We landed at Bagram Air Base for a short layover before heading to Kandahar NATO Base. Unfortunately we did not expect this. All our cold weather gear was packed away as we thought we were going to be in the southern part of Afghanistan. Without access to that gear, we spent the next couple days enjoying the cold. Finally we departed Bagram and made our way to Kandahar. Even though Afghanistan is only about the size of Texas, the weather can greatly differ from one part of the country to another. Kandahar was hot, dry and full of sandstorms. One minute you would be covering your face to avoid the sand, and the next it would be raining mud. Spring was coming and the temps were on the rise. An opportunity became available for a couple soldiers to transfer to Bagram and help out the other half of our unit. I was more than happy to volunteer to get away from the sand and heat. I had heard that Bagram was much more comfortable. They left out the fact that it was also a hotspot for attacks. We didn’t get much news about what was going on around the country. April 8th, I landed in Bagram and felt relief. It was only about 70 degrees rather than 100 degrees in Kandahar. The nights were a bit chilly and the winds did pick up and blow the sand around, but it was nothing like the sand in Kandahar. This was going to be a much more comfortable place to be. Oh how wrong I was. Eleven days later it all changed. I had heard that a few of my fellow soldiers were close to a rocket that exploded on camp in March. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. This time would not be the same. A Russian 107mm rocket struck the outer edge of our camp. A second rocket hit dead center of the camp. It went straight through the roof of the mail room where 2 soldiers were working. The first rocket that hit the camp was approximately 20 meters from where I was walking. I heard the sound of the whistle and felt completely helpless. I knew what was about to happen and I could do nothing about it. The force of the blast sent me flying into a shipping container that I was walking beside. When I finally came to my senses, I was unaware at how badly I was injured. My head hurt and there was a little blood coming out of my right ear. Still in shock, I made it to the soldier for which I was relieving. He asked what had happened as he was in a fortified tower that shielded him from the blast. I explained that we just took indirect fire. He quickly geared up and headed off to his next assignment. Within a few minutes, the second rocket hit the mail room. I quickly forgot about all the pain I was feeling. I saw the second blast strike the center of camp and knew it would not be good. Thankfully the two soldiers that were in the building survived. They were in really bad shape but would one day recover. Knowing that there were soldiers in more need of medical attention than myself, I kept my injuries hidden for a few hours until my shift was over. At morning debrief, I pulled the head medic to the side and explained what had happened. He checked me over and saw no immediate injuries that would require attention. I was given some Motrin and something to help me sleep. There was no sleeping that day. My head was still pounding. My whole left side of my body was screaming in pain. I could not get comfortable. I could not sleep. Later in the afternoon, I got ready for my next 12 hour shift. My head was still pounding. Felt like I had been drinking for days and now the killer hangover kicked in. The world was spinning faster than a carnival ride, but I could not let my brothers down. I continued on with the mission while hiding my injuries from my fellow soldiers. Finally in June, I could hide it no more. I had fallen a few times in the couple months since the blast but nothing serious until I fell walking back from the chow hall. It was over at that point. I was sent to the hospital for evaluation. After the doctor looked my ankle over that I had sprained, he asked about a few other issues he was concerned about. I explained that I had a headache for a few days but was better now. The doc wrapped my ankle and gave me crutches to get around with. I wasn’t completely truthful with him. I was still suffering daily from migraines but felt that I could continue on for a few more months. That would not be the case. In July, my Platoon Sargent came to me with concerns of my health. He knew that I was hurt from the blast. I was getting worse, not better. That is when he sent me to the hospital again for evaluation. Once again I explained to the doctor that I was fine. He felt differently. A few days later I was medevac to Germany for more testing. When I arrived in Germany, they took me straight to the hospital for in processing. That’s when the fun began. No longer able to hide what I had been struggling with, the doctor decided my time in Afghanistan was over. I was to be sent back to the states to undergo examination and treatment for my injuries. It was the beginning of a very long process. Fort Knox, Kentucky was about to become my home for the next 20 months. After months of testing, the doctors decided I was suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury, bulging discs in my neck and PTSD. Further tests revealed that I was suffering from severe nerve issues in my left arm as well as left side weakness. I also have nerve damage to both middle ears which cause issues with balance and mobility. Now the recovery process can begin. After spending almost 2 years in the TBI clinic, I am able to somewhat function on my own. I still require a full time caregiver and use a wheelchair or forearm crutches to get around. This has greatly reduced my ability to maneuver around the house or spend long periods of time out and about. The PTSD also makes it difficult to enjoy time away from the house with the family. Just as strong willed I was in Afghanistan, I continue to push myself beyond my limits. Not always having a good outcome, I refuse to surrender to my injuries. My daughter is my strength, my drive, my challenge. I continue to push myself to deal with my PTSD and mobility issues. I challenge myself to my limit and push just a little further. I feel that she will only learn from my experiences by seeing her daddy overcome any obstacle in his way. My goal is to teach my daughter to never surrender. There is nothing that can keep you from accomplishing what you desire. At the same time it is to teach her to never forget. Learn from those obstacles that you overcame. It can only help you to overcome the next obstacle in your life. Never let failure be a distraction but challenge to try again. Failure is nothing more than a second chance and we always can use a second chance. SGT David Denhardt Michigan Army National Guard (RET)
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 21:18:20 +0000
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