Page 27 - November 2015

COVER STORY
‘I was never going to walk again’
n BY JOSHUA SIGMUND
The introspective Pedro “Pete” Medina, though articulate in his own right, is quick to call on the words of those who have already so eloquently expressed what it means to be a soldier. His go-to wordsmith is none other than the legendary General George S. Patton:
“The Soldier is the Army. No army is better than its Soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.”
The patriotic Medina, though obliged in his own right, claimed his privilege following in the footsteps of a family whose military roots run deep: His maternal grandfather who raised him in Puerto Rico is a U.S. Army vet; his sister Delilah served in the U.S. Navy; great-great-uncles served as “Borinqueneers” in the Korean War, while great-uncles and uncles served in Vietnam; and an aunt and uncle both served in the Army during Desert Storm.
Following high school graduation, Medina began a 23-year-and- counting military career that has afforded him countless opportunities to honor his country through service across the globe and at home.
“I’m most proud of having had the opportunity to provide a sense of normalcy and peace to the citizens of New Orleans during my deploy- ment there under Operation Hurricane Katrina Relief,” recalled Medina, who has been on the job for 17 years and works as a firearms instructor at the academy. “Another memorable experience includes my unit assist- ing in the restoration of a local Afghan elementary school that was bombed by the Taliban, and providing the Afghan children with school supplies and toys. We worked alongside the Afghan National Police in order to provide local villagers with food, water, blankets, hand-crank radios and other necessities. I’m most proud of having had the opportu- nity to provide a sense of humanity to the citizens of Afghanistan.”
The ever-positive Medina, selflessly emphasizing the good American forces do overseas, ultimately faced an obstacle that threatened to derail everything he was born to accomplish.
On May 18, 2009, Sergeant Medina was stationed in southeastern Afghanistan when mortar rounds started to explode around him. He ran to a building on his military base for safety, but as a helicopter was taking off during the attack, a violent downdraft from the rotors caused the building to collapse. An iron I-beam landed on Medina, crushing his neck, pelvis and foot, and left the sergeant with no feeling below his neck.
“All gave some; some gave all.”
The famous quote by Korean War veteran and Purple Heart recipient Howard William Osterkamp resonated with Medina as he lay in the hospital bed.
Doctors’ initial diagnosis revealed that Medina would be a quadriple- gic. Not only did his service career appear to be finished, but also the job
he held with the Chicago Police Department for more than a decade.
“One of my first recollections after being weaned off some of the heavy medication I was on was a Walter Reed Army Medical Center doctor telling me because of the extent of my injuries I was never going to walk again,” Medina expressed. “But that doctor only saw the broken bones I had from the X-Ray he was looking at in his hands; he did not see the fighting spirit I had in me in order to make it possible to walk again.”
Multiple surgeries were required to stop
internal bleeding, repair and graft broken
bones, insert stents and metal implants,
and spinal fusion. But just six weeks into his
recovery, Medina started tapping his
middle finger on the bed. In November 2009, he was extending his harms, making a fist, and eventually started walking with a cane.
“I initially made it through rehab thanks to – in no particular order – faith, family, support from the military and the Chicago Police Department, perseverance, countless strangers’ support, medical sup- port, diet, medicine and some of the greatest physical and occupational therapists the Tampa VA Hospital has to offer,” he emphasized. “I am still making it through. I will rehab for the rest of my life which is no problem because that means I am alive.”
The humble Medina, though deservedly heroic in his own right, inevitably received the homecoming a hero of his caliber deserved.
On April 30, 2010, members of Medina’s military unit, fellow CPD officers, the Patriot Guard Riders and the Midway USO greeted him at O’Hare Airport for the welcome home he deserved.
“The greeting I received from the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, Illinois Army National Guard, Illinois Patriot Guard Riders and the countless well-wishers when I returned home to Chicago was unbelievable,” Medina stated. “The police department and military was so supportive during my recovery and rehabilitation that saying ‘thank you’ feels like it’s not enough.”
The thankful Medina, inspiring in his own right, continues to advo- cate for his fellow veterans:
“‘Thank you for your service’ is a default phrase by many,” he offered. “Replace it with action. Thank us by listening to us. Thank us by fighting the VA backlog that prevents us from the care we fought for. Thank us by asking the difficult questions. Make sure we are OK. Make sure we are not forgotten.”
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Pedro Medina
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