10 August 2006

WR Amputee Team in Landstuhl Treating Romanian Soldiers

Two Romanian soldiers who lost their legs in Afghanistan have been recovering at Landstuhl hospital since the June 20 attack on their joint convoy with Canadian Forces. This week, the amputee team from Walter Reed arrived to fit them with their new prosthetics:

“Basically, we came here to help them get up, literally, on their feet — prosthetic feet and their own feet,” said Col. Jeffrey Gambel, chief of Walter Reed’s amputation clinic and a physical medicine rehabilitation doctor. “Also, to have them make some functional progress towards walking using assisted devices and so forth.”
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Seeing the Romanians take their first steps with their prosthetic legs was a great moment, Gambel said.
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The event marks the first time an amputee care team from Walter Reed has traveled to Landstuhl to treat patients. Normally, U.S. troops are taken from Landstuhl to Walter Reed to receive prosthetic limbs and undergo rehabilitation.

Since the wounded soldiers are Romanian, the amputee care team came to Landstuhl to help them before they head home to the eastern European nation.

“So far, they’re doing real well,” said Zach Harvey, chief prosthetist at Walter Reed. “They exceeded my expectations.”

Love and prayers to Laurentiu and Valerica from all of us at Soldiers' Angels. Thank you for your service and for your courage.

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