And for some it costs dearly. We have heard a lot about the dead of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But sometimes we may forget the price paid by others who lived. Around the country people have raised over $50 million in private donations to construct a state of the art facility to treat the most grievously wounded of our country's soldiers.
...The sleek multistory oval structure housing the $50 million Center for the Intrepid is 60,000 square feet of the latest rehabilitation technology, including a virtual-reality dome and gait lab to help troops practice balance and walking, a climbing wall and even a wave pool. "That's my new playground over there," said Spc. Joshua Stein, 23, who hails from the far-flung Pacific island of Saipan. Spc. Stein had both his legs blown off in Taji, Iraq, in April 2006 by a roadside bomb, and shrapnel ripped through the tattoos on both forearms. He's an island boy, so of course he's looking forward to using the wave pool to build agility while he surfs.
...J.R. Martinez, 23, said a new battle is beginning for this crowd of "scars and stripes" troops nursing fresh wounds, and the Intrepid center will help them heal. Martinez, a spokesman for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, a nonprofit that raised money for wounded and disabled members of the military, was injured early in the Iraq war on April 5, 2003, when the Humvee he was driving hit a landmine. The explosion trapped him in the burning vehicle and melted away one ear. Even now, after 32 surgeries, his face is laced with thick scars. "When I was here two and a half years ago you didn't see nearly as much support," he said. "They're saying thank you in so many ways. It's a morale booster."
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