Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Recovering soldier returns home to Greece

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Recovering soldier returns home to Greece

    Are we talking here about a dual citizen of both Greece and the USA?

    Recovering soldier returns home to Greece

    March 1, 2008

    Army 1st Lt. Robert Burke of Greece returned home yesterday, one month after suffering five gunshot wounds while fighting in Iraq.

    Three bullets struck his upper torso, one hit his leg and another grazed his right cheek. He had a collapsed lung, a bruised spleen and other injuries. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

    After four weeks of treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Burke is up and walking, though he says it’s still a bit of a hobble.

    “The homecoming that I received today was great,” he said. “I hope that all my soldiers in my platoon, they can experience the same thing when they come home.”
    Burke, 25, is with the First Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum. The Greece Arcadia graduate deployed to northern Iraq in September and is the platoon leader.

    Early in the morning of Feb. 4, Burke was taking part in a raid on a house believed to be occupied by insurgents. As the soldiers were detaining one individual, others inside the house began firing blindly at American forces, Burke said.

    Six Americans were injured in the attack, including Burke, but no one died, he said.

    On Friday, Burke met the newest edition to his family: His sister, Tiffany Walter of Penfield, had a baby girl that morning. His parents, Susan and William Burke, live in Greece.

    But Burke said he misses his platoon, which he calls his second family.

    “Yeah, I got injured, but I’m home after five months, and they’re still doing the hard work,” Burke said. “I mean, I think about them every day.”



    Army 1st Lt. Robert Burke of Greece returned home yesterday, one month after suffering five gunshot wounds while fighting in Iraq.

    Democrat & Chronicle: Local News
Working...
X