Thu Mar 11 2010
by Bob Gaetjens
Reporter
TALLMADGE After spending nearly 10 months in Afghanistan, going down in a helicopter, hitting a land mine in a humvee and earning a Purple Heart, 287th Infantry Division Spc. Stephen Cord is home to visit family and friends for about two weeks.
However, the 1995 Tallmadge High School graduate says hes looking forward to deployment to Iraq soon.
A couple battalions were sent to Iraq and I volunteered to go, he said, adding he leaves for Fort Drum in New York July 11. I actually liked being in Afghanistan. I didnt join the Army to be stationed in the states.
His mother, Sarah Cord, said shes looking forward to a family reunion this weekend.
However, her feelings about Stephens return to Afghanistan or Iraq are mixed, she said.
Since hes been there, hes had two near misses, she said. I dont want any more phone calls and I dont want anyone knocking on my door. One phone call was enough.
However, she added her son likes being deployed overseas and said her sons defending his countrys freedoms.
Stephen said he and nine other soldiers were returning to his base Feb. 13 from a village where they were providing medical treatment, triage and checking water supplies when a blast from mine wracked the humvee in which he was riding.
The first thing I saw was blood on my hands that wasnt my own, he said. The tank mine pretty much destroyed the front half of our humvee.
Cord described checking his eyes, hands and other body parts to assess the damage the blast caused him. Of his bumps and scrapes, his knee was the most nagging injury.
I was doing missions within a week, he said. I was limping, but I was doing missions.
Others werent so fortunate, he added. Several soldiers were sent to Germany for medical treatment and his friend Sgt. Nick Golden was killed by the explosion.
His mother said she returned home at about 10 p.m. after a dinner out to hear two phone messages from Fort Drum.
I heard those and knew they were trying pretty hard to get a hold of me, she said. They called again as I was checking the messages.
However, she said she tried to keep perspective, being thankful Stephen was only injured.
Theres part of you that says Theres some other mother grieving, she said.
Cord said Afghanistan is a geographically diverse place with areas of marsh, forests, deserts and mountains, but most people live very simple lives. Its like walking back into Old Testament times, he said. But a few select groups have more money than people realize. Afghanistan is a huge [illegal] exporter of opium. Weve done some searches in compounds where theyve got satellite dishes and other luxuries.
In his time in Afghanistan, he said he moved around a lot and received a variety of welcomes from a variety of different types of people.
Afghani people appreciate what were doing, he said. There are a few bad apples. What weve got to realize is there are a few men who are literate, and, through prayers and speeches some of them lead people astray.
The 31 dialects in the country also create different receptions from groups in different locations, he said.
Were actually doing something worthwhile over there, he said. Afghanistan is a lot better now than when we got there.
E-mail: bgaetjens@recordpub.net
Phone: 330-686-3911
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