Action in Mogadishu, Somalia 25-Sep-1993

Action of 25 September, 1993

Excerpted from a story written by Janie Blankenship in the September 2004 issue of VFW Magazine

To the war-wounded, he's an inspiration. To his fellow veterans, he s the epitome of bravery. At 35, Christopher Reid is a role model to all.

A veterans service representative and counselor with the Washington, D.C.-based VA Central Office, Reid does much more than is required of him. Until last April, he spent four days a week providing disability compensation and other VA benefits information to patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center.

Currently, Reid is working on a special project for young vets coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq. He helps them locate employment with VA facilities across the country. But Reid also shares his personal triumphs.

Having emigrated from Jamaica to New York in 1986, Reid enlisted in the Army as an infantryman and completed tours of duty in Hawaii and Korea. Later, he headed to the city of Mogadishu in Somalia to support Operation Continue Hope. It was a mission which would forever change his life.

On Sept. 25, 1993, Reid's unit--C Co., 2nd Bn., 14th Inf. Regt., 10th Mountain Div.--was sent into the city to help rescue U.S. forces following a Black Hawk helicopter crash.

Special Forces and Army Rangers were taking heavy fire from Somali militia as they maneuvered to the site. Reid and his fellow GIs had to load the dead and wounded while staving off the enemy.

While laying down cover fire, Reid was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, which tore apart his right leg and blew off his right hand.

As if this wasn't enough, his left hand was severely burned, and his body peppered by shrapnel. He also was temporarily blinded and his eardrums ruptured. His right leg was later amputated above the knee.

Reid spent the next seven months recovering at Walter Reed. It was during this time the late VA secretary Jesse Brown paid him a visit and later offered him a job.

A wife and three children later, Reid is convinced his wounds were meant to be.

"I just thank God for blessing me and giving me the strength to be an inspiration to wounded men and women" he said. "I need to let them know there is life after war."

Reid's presence is especially critical to those patients who aren't ready to accept that their lives are forever changed. And in many cases, the wounded aren't ready to speak.

To help them open up, Reid stresses his own injury and lengthy recovery. He talks about his wife and children and even shows them his prosthetic leg and hand. But most important, he gives them a glimpse of what their future holds and offers reassurances that all is not dim.

"They see that I'm up, getting around without a limp or braces and that I'm enjoying life, and that gives them hope," Reid said.

Before Reid's job changed, he would see about 50 patients a week. "I still try to encourage hope, inspiration and compassion," he said. "They can overcome given their circumstances."