II-Ward 57 Walter Reed Amputees - "Moving Forward, One Step at a Time" - Anne Hull

II-Ward 57 Walter Reed Amputees - "Moving Forward, One Step at a Time" - Anne Hull - Washington Post

After Iraq, Wounded Soldiers Try Out New Limbs, New Lives

Byline: Anne Hull, Tamara Jones; 2003-07-21; The Washington Post; pages A1

Report: Inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center 2003, 2007 - Salon, The Washington Post

Article Links

Article via Washington Post website

A 20-year-old private moans. In Baghdad, he camped out in a bathroom of Saddam Hussein's palace, stacking his Chips Ahoy on the shelves above the gold-ingot faucets. Now he lies on a gurney with shrapnel in his belly, beneath a balloon that says, "You're the Best!" Upstairs on the orthopedics ward, the beds are already filled with recovering casualties from the war in Iraq. There are different battles being fought on Ward 57, more private struggles. It's not about victory, but coping. Not about war, but its aftermath.

Description:The second of two articles about the treatment and rehabilitation of amputees at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Rights: Access to online material.