More on Lt. Andrew Kinard, USMC

From Sunday's Washington Times:

Honoring Heroes
Lt. Col. Oliver North (Ret.)

The Freedom Alliance is an educational-charitable foundation that, among other things, provides college scholarships to the offspring of U.S. military personnel killed in action.

Every year, coincident with the Army-Navy Game, the organization presents its Defender of Freedom Award to an individual whose character, courage and selfless deeds inspire virtuous service from the rest of us. This year's recipient, U.S. Marine Lt. Andrew Kinard unequivocally meets these criteria.

On Oct. 29, 2006, Lt. Kinard was leading his Marines on a foot patrol in Rawah, Iraq - searching for a terrorist bomb factory - when a command-detonated IED exploded directly next to his left leg. The blast blew him into the air - and he landed almost 20 feet from the crater. Three other Marines were wounded.

According to those who were there, before the grievously injured officer passed out from loss of blood, he ordered them to set up security, get a head count and start treating the other injured Marines. The platoon corpsman tried to staunch the flow of blood but couldn't find enough undamaged tissue to apply tourniquets and the lieutenant was losing blood - from almost everywhere.

A Cas-Evac helicopter airlifted him to the Marine Air Base at Al Asad, then to the Army trauma hospital at Balad, north of Baghdad. Sixty-seven pints of whole blood - more than 5 times the amount in a healthy adult - were pumped into the failing officer's veins in a 24-hour period.

By the time he was flown to Landstuhl, Germany, in a C-17 Nightingale, he had gone into cardiac arrest -and been resuscitated - twice. Emergency surgeries went on nearly nonstop to plug the seemingly innumerable holes punched in his body. The family was alerted, and a prayer vigil held. Hundreds of people half a world away went to their knees and begged God for a miracle.

Some miracles happen immediately. This one took awhile.

Four days after being blasted to pieces, Andrew Kinard was in the intensive care unit at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., with his family around his bedside - and still praying. By the time I got back from Iraq, just before Christmas 2006, "Drew" as his Marine and Naval Academy friends call him, had already endured more than two dozen surgeries.

His doctor told me the 24-year old lieutenant was "getting better" even though he had
pneumonia, a blood infection and multiple perforations of his intestines from shrapnel. They had just done one of the many skin grafts necessary to prepare his stumps for prosthetic limbs.

When I walked into his room, his mother and his sister Katherine were with him. His dad, a doctor in Spartanburg, S.C., and two younger siblings, Courtney and Will, were all en route to spend Christmas with their badly battered Marine.

Except for all the cards, poster, banners, Christmas stockings, lights, photos and flags, the room would have looked like a scene from a science fiction movie. Monitors, electronic devices, compressors, pumps and assorted tubes, wires and bags of colored fluids surrounded the bed - all connected to Andrew Kinard. Tiny flecks of shrapnel were still visible on the side of his face. He had no legs. His abdomen was an open hole. And he was smiling. "God is good," he said in greeting.

Over the next 11 months of hospitalization, Andrew Kinard was living proof of that statement. When I would ask him or his family, "How can I help you?" The inevitable response would be: "Just pray for recovery." And so, he also became evidence of the power of prayer.

In April 2007 he flew to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to meet his Marines when they returned from Iraq. Wearing his Marine utility uniform for the first time since being wounded, he greeted his comrades in a special "all-terrain" wheelchair.

Asked by a reporter to recollect the day he was wounded, he acknowledged that his memory of the attack had been dulled by shock and pain. Then he said, "A man asks himself, if something happens to me, when I go into battle, how will I react? Will I be brave?"

As they arrived home, the members of "Alpha" Company made it clear: Lt. Andrew Kinard was, without a doubt, their hero.

On Oct. 29, 2007, exactly a year after he was wounded, the indomitable young officer came home. Dignitaries and thousands of well wishers were on hand to welcome Andrew at First Baptist Church, Spartanburg. The following Sunday he spoke at all three services - thanking all for their unfailing prayers.

His recovery will continue for years to come. But on one of my visits to him in the hospital the man who had once played rugby at the Naval Academy said, "I don't need legs. I have my arms. I learned discipline at the Naval Academy. I have my faith - and a desire to serve. Maybe I'll go to law school."

Andrew has all of that - and more. He also has a great sense of humor. He has a T-shirt with the words "Marine For Sale" printed on the front. On the back it reads: "40 Percent Off - Some Assembly Required."

Meditation on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

A beautiful meditation from St. Padre Pio, on the occasion of today's feast day in the Catholic Church -- The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception...

Eternal Love, Spirit of Light and Truth, make a way into my poor mind and allow me to penetrate as far as it is possible to a wretched creature like myself, into that abyss of grace, of purity and of holiness, that I may acquire a love of God that is continually renewed, a love of God Who, from all eternity planned the greatest of all the masterpieces created by His hands: the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

From all eternity Almighty God took delight in what was to be the most perfect work of His hands, and anticipated this wonderful plan with an outpouring of His Grace.

Man, created innocent, fell by disobeying Him; the mark of original sin remained engraved on his forehead and that of his progeny who will bear its consequences until the end of time.

A woman brought ruin, and a woman was to bring salvation. The one, being tempted by a serpent, stamped the mark of sin on the human race; the other was to rise through grace, pure and immaculate. She would crush the head of the serpent who was helpless before her and who struggled in vain under her heel; for she was conceived without sin, and through her came grace to mankind.

Protected with Grace by Him Who was to be the Savior of Mankind that had fallen into sin, she escaped all shadow of evil. She sprang from the mind of God as a pure ray of light, and will shine like a morning star over the human race that turns to her. She will be the sure guide who will direct our steps toward the Divine Sun which is Jesus Christ. He makes her radiant with divine splendor and points to her as our model of purity and sanctity. No creature surpasses her, but all creation defers her through the Grace of Him Who made her immaculate. He Whom she was to carry in her womb was the Son of God participating with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the glory of her conception.

Clothed in light from the moment of her conception, she grew in grace and comeliness. After Almighty God, she is the most perfect of creatures; more pure than the angels; God is indeed well pleased in her, since she most resembles Him and is the only worthy repository of His secrets.

In the natural order she preceded her Divine Child, Our Lord, but in the divine order Jesus, the Divine Sun, arose before her, and she received from Him all grace, all purity and all beauty.

All is darkness compared to the pure light that renews all creation through Him Whom she bore in her womb, as the dew on the rose.

The Immaculate Conception is the first step in our salvation. Through this singular and unique gift Mary received a profusion of Divine Grace, and through her cooperation she became worthy of absorbing infinitely more.

Va. Sen. Cuccinelli Makes Impressive Showing In First Step for GOP Nomination for AG

Virginia State Senator Ken Cuccinelli impressed Conservatives statewide earlier this week with his strong show of grassroots support during the petition process for qualifying nominees for inclusion on the party ballot at the Republican State Convention in Richmond next May.

Three candidates qualified to be included on the GOP convention ballot for Attorney General -- Sen. Cuccinelli; John Brownlee, former U.S. Attorney for Western Virginia; and Arlington lawyer Dave Foster.

Faced with the requirement of collecting 4,000 petition signatures by Dec. 1 in order to qualify to be on the Republican ballot at the State Convention in May, Sen. Cuccinelli collected more than 12,500 original signatures from registered Virginia voters and, with copies of signatures from other petitions with his name on them, he is expected to report a total of more than 22,000 signatures.

In fact, the Cuccinelli campaign submitted more original signatures than any other statewide campaign for any office, including the nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

With the Republican nominations for the state's top two positions already wrapped up, the Convention will be the culmination of a six-month campaign in the three-way battle for the GOP nomination for AG.

Although the R.C. Blog was impressed with Messrs. Brownlee and Foster after hearing from them this week at the Fairfax County Republican Committee meeting, it continues to fully support and endorse Sen. Cuccinelli for the AG nomination.

The R.C. Blog will continue to track and report on this three-way race leading up to the state convention in Richmond next May.

Fr. Lieutenant Andrew Kinard, USMC, Receives the Freedom Alliance's 2008 Defender of Freedom Award

On Thursday night, the R.C. Blog was in attendance for the Freedom Alliance's "Defender of Freedom" dinner in Washington, D.C. The recipient for this year's Freedom Alliance's Edward J. Bronars Defender of Freedom Award was First Lieutenant Andrew Kinard, USMC.

There was not a dry eye in the room as 1stLt Kinard, 25 years old, talked about his battle for life following an IED explosion in Iraq during his patrol and his heartfelt apprection to God and the Marines. Kinard was severely injured resulting in the loss of both of his legs. He spent the next four months undergoing 57 surgical procedures to restore his normal body functions and the next year recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In January 2008, President Bush invited 1stLt Kinard to the State of the Union address, where he sat next to First Lady Laura Bush. Remarkably, 1stLt Kinard is today still serving his country as an active duty Marine.

He inspired the audience with his positive outlook and smile and he expressed how blessed he feels today to be alive. He attributes his ability to still be alive to God, the support of his family, and to the dedication of the Marines and other military and medical personnel who kept him from dying throughout various phases of his injury and recovery.

The dinner event also featured speeches from Freedom Alliance Founder and Honorary Chairman LtCol Oliver North, USMC (Ret.) , Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon, and radio talk show host, commentator, and author Laura Ingraham. A very special "thank you" to the Kilgannons for their invitation to this remarkable event.

As always, the R.C. Blog proudly supports the Freedom Alliance and encourages all readers to visit their web site (freedomalliance.org) and consider making a tax-deductible donation to this extremely worthy cause.

"Are You Happy Yet?"