In early April this year, eight wounded U.S. Army veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) visited the bases where they had been stationed. All eight were wounded in combat between 2006 and 2008. Operation Proper Exit, an initiative of Troops First Foundation with support from the USO, had a dual purpose: 1) allow the veterans to bring closure to their service and 2) show troops in the war zone that injuries sustained in battle were surmountable. These soldiers, and others on similar trips, chose to return because they wanted to walk out of Iraq, as opposed to having been carried out. Equally as important, they wanted to visit comrades and see the significant progress in Iraq so they would know that their sacrifices and those of so many others were not in vain.

After a briefing at the Pentagon by the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, they boarded a United Airlines flight from Dulles Airport to Kuwait. The flight was quiet as 2 April had been a full travel day for the veterans. In spite of flying business class, with all the amenities that come with that class of service, they opted to get rest. Traveling with severe injuries is hard work, even domestically. There was a quiet confidence surrounding these men, tinged with the awkwardness that men usually exhibit when thrust together for the first time. Even boisterous Sergeant First Class (Retired) Mike Schlitz was quiet. Dominating their thoughts was returning to the place where they had been injured, although that did not fully manifest itself until later; still, an obvious trepidation lurked around our group as we flew to the Middle East.

As we exited the Kuwait airport, senior brass from the U.S. Army in Kuwait was there to greet us. It became immediately evident that these returning warriors were more important than most dignitaries that the Army must handle on a regular basis. The brief ride south to Camp Arifjan - the largest logistical base in the world as we draw down troops and equipment from Iraq and redeploy them to Afghanistan and Africa - was again quiet. The men studied the arid landscape. Only an occasional quip about the camels and goats that dotted the countryside was heard. Both jet lag and trepidation weighed on their minds.

At Arifjan we quickly became acquainted with the man who would be our host in Iraq - Command Sergeant (CSM) Major Lawrence Wilson. He had flown to Kuwait with a Personal Security Detail (PSD) to prepare us for and escort us to Iraq. The thirty minute brief that one would expect from a command sergeant major on procedure, safety in Iraq and the changes in that country was as abrupt as it was fascinating. Clearly CSM Wilson was accustomed to addressing troops and to being obeyed; after all, he is the highest ranking enlisted man in Iraq. That did not seem to matter to SFC Schlitz. While all eight men stood tall in the hallway and stared straight ahead as they were being addressed, Schlitz constantly interrupted CSM Wilson with one and two word corrections or modifications to the speech. This did not seem to bother CSM Wilson in the slightest - it was only later that it became clear these men had a special relationship.

This was the fifth Operation Proper Exit organized by Troops First Foundation, and the third one that SFC Schlitz had attended. Wilson and Schlitz knew each other well and their interaction was a constant source of amusement. Schlitz, 33 years old, was injured in Baghdad in February 2007 when an IED struck his vehicle. His entire crew perished, and if Schlitz hadn't been thrown from the vehicle he would have suffered the same fate. Still, he was burned on over 85% of his body and lost both hands. Despite constant surgeries, Schlitz found the strength to return to Iraq. Rick Kell, founder of Troops First, had asked Schlitz back, along with SGT Rob Brown, on subsequent trips as mentors for the new participants. SFC Schlitz let it be known this would be his last for a while as he needed to begin facial reconstruction surgery.

As we lined the hall and CSM Wilson addressed us, the men stood straight, as if they had snapped back to an earlier day. The CSM spoke crisply and rapidly:

- We would be ready at the appointed time as there was a tight timetable and the aircraft we were flying on were part of an intricate travel network

- As Iraq was still a war zone, we would be properly attired as we traveled (read body armor);
- The PSD were in charge and we would follow their lead
- Each of the bases we were visiting would host a "town hall meeting" where the veterans would describe themselves and then answer questions. We were to visit eight bases, many of which America had read about as the war raged - Mosul, Fallujah, Ramadi, Tikrit, Mahmudiyah, Balad, etc.
- Above all, we are a team. We move as a team and we are responsible for the men on our left and right.

Still, as Schlitz and Wilson went at it in the hallway, the rest of the veterans remained silent. Throughout the trip, these two warriors were one-upping each other.

Dinner that evening in Kuwait was enjoyable, with the base commander and his entire staff seated with us. In that DFAC (dining facility), was the first sign of things to come: a need by the soldiers to know what it is like to suffer a life-changing injury mixed with a genuine adulation of the veterans' strength and determination.

The 4:30 AM banging on the door was a reminder that the Army was in charge. As we lined up on either side of the hallway in our newly-issued ACUs (Army Combat Uniform), the men stood tall. Several mentioned they hadn't worn ACUs for years, and they looked proud to be back in uniform. Major David Underwood and SGT Brown were still in the Army and had their own uniforms. Both lost limbs in furious combat engagements, yet decided that a military career was their calling. Clearly concerned that qualifying for their chosen career paths would be difficult physically, they were determined to try. As we waited for CSM Wilson to address us, the men checked each other out and appeared to stand even taller; interestingly, a light banter began. The troops were back in town.

The team flew from Air Force Base Ali al-Saleem in northern Kuwait to Camp Liberty at BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) on a C130. Before we boarded the aircraft, we were given another lecture on procedure and safety by CSM Wilson. Clearly he had been tasked with this mission and he was determined to pull it off without a hitch.

Even though this was an Army operation, the Air Force supported us throughout. As we left the aircraft, the crew insisted on having their picture taken with the veterans - after they deplaned through an Air Force honor guard that was assembled to honor the warriors of Operation Proper Exit. The Air Force flew us on some of the less hospitable days - they called the sand storm days "red air", because that is exactly what it looked like.

Operation Proper Exit was based out of Camp Victory (BIAP) and we stayed at one of Saddam's palaces - albeit five to a room. Across the man-made lake was Saddam's al-Faw palace, from which the U.S. Army managed the Iraq conflict. Upon arriving in Baghdad, we stowed our gear in our rooms and then transited to al-Faw to meet General Raymond Odierno, Commanding General, U.S. Forces - Iraq. Rick Kell credits General Odierno with cutting through the red tape and allowing Operation Proper Exit to take place. The fact that he allowed CSM Wilson to dedicate a week was further proof of the General's commitment to the Operation. The General explained that his troops often wondered what happened to soldiers that they place on medivacs; they never saw them again unless they visited hospitals in the United States. Further, it was important to the General that his troops interact with wounded soldiers so as to learn that life goes on, even after a difficult injury. Also present at al-Faw was Major General Joseph Anderson, Odierno's chief of staff. Both Generals spent a good part of the afternoon with the veterans and explained the progress being made. It was clear that Iraqi troops, police and special operations were standing up as planned. Indeed, post-election violence was substantially less than had been expected. Unfortunately, AQI (al-Qaeda in Iraq) is still active - they murdered 54 people in Baghdad our first day there. And several days later, when we were in Mosul, an IED struck an Army vehicle (MRAP), killing two soldiers and wounding four others. Following a reception in the palace, which was attended by hundreds of the command staff, we retired to our residence. However, we were substantially delayed, to CSM Wilson's dismay, because the HQ soldiers wanted to meet the returning warriors and this took over an hour.

For the next five days, Operation Proper Exit would visit one and sometimes two bases per day. Flying over Iraq reveals an extremely diverse geography: rivers and canals with lush farmland as far as the eye can see; never-ending desert; massive lakes; and, fabulous topography of cliffs and long-dead riverbeds. The flights are never out of sight of farms, villages or cities - they exist in even the most remote corners of Iraq.

Each base visit began with the commander greeting us and hundreds of troops lined up for an official greeting. The wounded warriors would then walk a gauntlet of soldiers to the town hall meeting, the applause and hoots often ear-splitting. These meetings were the raison d'être of Operation Proper Exit. Each of the eight warriors would stand and deliver a speech about his personal experience - the intense conflict and the resultant injuries. These speeches were heartfelt and delivered with great emotion. However, when we were at the base where a particular soldier had been stationed, his speech took on an additional gravity. Oftentimes when we arrived, someone that knew the soldier from earlier would be there to greet us. They would meet, embrace and shuffle off to the side to catch up as the rest of us moved to the appointed rounds. Upon his turn to speak, the wounded warrior that had been stationed at that base would stand and recount his story that was more detailed than it had been at other bases. It meant a lot more details - large and small - came flooding out. The warrior was transported back in time to a more violent period of the Iraq conflict. When speaking at their former base, almost all of them would have to pause to put emotions in check; it did not always work. But the other wounded were there and a pat on the back, or a "hooah" from nearby, would bring a smile back to the speaker's face. They would be quiet for the rest of that afternoon but, upon arriving back at Camp Victory, they seemed relieved.

Questions from the audience were an important part of the Operation as well. Most frequently asked questions were:

- How did your family react? Were they helpful?
- What was the medical care like?
- What was it like losing a limb/receiving a catastrophic injury?
- What was the hardest thing about the recuperation?
- Were you concerned about coming back to Iraq?
- What would you do differently that might have avoided injury?
- Did you hear from your unit? Is that important?

These questions came at the speakers quickly and it was clear that these were serious concerns of the troops still stationed in Iraq. Having such a great cadre of wounded warriors - there was a lot of humor in our group - seemed to assuage the troops' concerns. At the conclusion of every town hall, CSM Wilson would address the assembled soldiers and explain that the wounded warriors that have returned were "firepower multipliers" and "the most important weapon in the new fight" - taking care of the injured is clearly a priority for the Army. He, and many of the wounded, urged the soldiers to reach out via email to comrades who had been wounded. Time and again, CSM Wilson drove home the point that family and friends were the greatest comfort during the recuperation period.
The speakers did not pull any punches though - "life after an injury is not a bowl of cherries", was a constant refrain. CPL Roberto Cruz recounted how a sniper shot him in Tikrit while on guard duty in August 2005 - the bullet went through his spine. CPL Cruz would tell the audience he will never forget the dismay he felt when he woke up in Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland, and was told he would never walk again. Two years later he was walking, but had not regained the use of his left arm. As a lefty, he had to learn to write, eat and do everything as a righty. But learning to walk again was his greatest challenge - and accomplishment. And now, he was preparing to leave Iraq on his own terms

SSG Brian Neuman had a remarkable ability to bring his battle injury to life for the benefit of the audience. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, he had just joined a patrol of Bradley vehicles in Fallujah, Iraq. On November 11, 2004 (Veterans Day, Neuman liked to point out), an EFP (explosively formed penetrator) blew through the back door of his Bradley and took off his arm at the shoulder. He recalls exiting the Bradley carrying his arm. SSG Neuman echoed his fellow warriors when he said that leaving his comrades behind was one of the most difficult aspects of being wounded. Nonetheless, he is now happily working in the finance industry in Texas.

Several base visits included access to secure operations that cannot be discussed in detail, yet are worthy of note. Operation Proper Exit spent considerable time with U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their Iraq counterparts. The U.S. soldiers were truly optimistic about the Iraqi military, and specifically the Iraqi SOF's ability to take over security operations as the U.S. drew down over the coming years. We met the commanding general of the Iraqi Special Forces, an anti-Saddam Kurdish leader whose deputies were Shiite and Sunni soldiers. We ate with them, practiced with their weapons and watched a nighttime (staged in an indoor training facility) building assault.
Another highlight, and an additional indication of the progress being made in Iraq, was a visit at one of the bases to a crime scene laboratory. There are several in Iraq that are documenting the weapons and explosives that are being used - and have been used over the years - and creating a national database of fingerprints and DNA. This has become increasingly important in assisting the fledgling Iraq court system.

A visit to Task Force ODIN (Observe, Detect, Identify and Neutralize) allowed the wounded warriors to observe manned and unmanned aerial surveillance platforms that have assisted in IED (improvised explosive device) defeat. They saw new technologies that, as ground soldiers, would have made considerable difference in how they operated just several years ago.

Events on the last two days brought further closure to Operation Proper Exit for the returning wounded soldiers and for the troops currently stationed there. Major David Underwood and Corporal Brian Hinojosa fought together for 22 months before being injured in January 2008 in South Baghdad. During a dismounted patrol, an IED triggered by a pressure chord tore off Major Underwood's arm. Shrapnel to the face and neck injured Corporal Hinojosa. Our helicopters flew over the scene of the attack and covered much of the Area of Operation that the two men worked. They were mesmerized by the terrain and, more importantly, saw that most of it had been rebuilt and replanted. They were ecstatic that it was peaceful and prosperous - this had not been in vain.

The final travel day took Operation Proper Exit to Balad Air Force Base north of Baghdad. There we visited Arrowhead Emergency Room, the largest in Iraq with ten operating stations. Ninety percent of wounded troops transit Balad on their way home. The participants of Operation Proper Exit conducted an amazing town hall meeting with nurses and doctors. The Q&A session was the most intense of the trip with the medical professionals delving into how their care had benefited the wounded and how they could do better. The bond between caregiver and patient was poignant. With hostilities winding down, Arrowhead has 50% Iraq patients now, many the victims of AQI attacks.

The entrance to Arrowhead is called "Hero's Highway", a tented walkway with a huge American flag hung on the ceiling. We were told that 90% of the soldiers that saw that flag as they were wheeled in off the medivac helicopters survived. All of the wounded warriors on Operation Proper Exit were anxious to walk out of Hero's Highway instead of being wheeled out, and thereby make a proper exit. And they did.

Troops First is a non-profit organization that develops, implements and manages relevant Warrior Care initiatives that focus and wellness and quality of life. Operation Proper Exit is but one of their ongoing programs.
Please help Troops First by sending a check to: Troops First Foundation
16312 Dahl Road, Laurel, MD 20707
www.troopsfirstfoundation.org