Stryker Brigade News

“I thought that is what the lieutenant colonel had to say. I was in shock. Lt. Col. Webster asked if I wanted to talk to the first sergeant,” she said.

Shilo said hearing the news from someone she knew personally made it more real.

“I asked first sergeant if Pete was going to be OK, and hearing from him that he thought Pete was going to be all right put me at ease. But after that, it was basically a waiting game,” she said.

“They don’t want you to cross paths in the air, so I stayed in Alaska until we knew where he was going to be,” she added.

Rather than wait for the phone to ring, Shilo took matters into her own hands.

“I called and talked to the nurse (at Landstuhl, Germany). Pete was asking for me and asking how his Soldiers were,” she said.

But communicating with Lara on the phone was no small task — he couldn’t talk because of the injury to his jaw. Lara would write notes to the nurse and she would relay the message to his wife. The nurse also put the phone to his ear so he could hear his wife’s voice.

Once Lara was stable enough to be transported to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Shilo waited once again.

There, doctors did another assessment to determine if family should be at the bedside.

Once given the green light, Shilo was on a plane to see her husband for the first time since the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team left.

She missed her connection in Seattle, prolonging her reunion and worry about her husband. But Lara’s mother arrived at Walter Reed and was able to give Shilo a report over the phone.

“It was like heaven to know and hear from his mom how he was doing. I wasn’t scared anymore after talking to her,” she said.

Shilo said it was God’s way of working things out best. Initially distressed she didn’t get there first, Shilo said in hindsight, it was better that her mother-in-law was there because she, herself, was scared.

Her mother-in-law was able to put her mind to rest until she could get on the next flight.

Lara had just come out of surgery upon Shilo’s midnight arrival the next Tuesday.

“As soon as I saw him, he looked really good,” she said.

One of the hardest parts of the reunion was the difficulty in communication. With Lara’s mouth wired shut, he was unable to talk. The injury to his arm didn’t help his penmanship when he tried to write notes.

“Communication was hard. You could tell he was frustrated. We did a guessing game, but it got better each day,” Shilo said.

In addition to his injuries, Lara had an emergency tracheotomy done and then came down with pneumonia. But despite any setbacks or complications, he was determined to get home to Alaska.

In the meantime, his wife rarely left his side.

“I slept there 24-7. My mother-in-law would give me a break to go shower. It was hard too, because we were not eating because he was not eating. But after a while, we were having parties in the room,” Shilo said with a laugh. “The doctors were outstanding. There were a lot of good nurses, too.”

Being at her husband’s bedside was not only comforting to him, but part of his healing process — something Shilo was grateful for.

“Knowing there were Soldiers in the hospital with no family, no one to speak for them. I was sad for others,” she said.

“If I didn’t have my wife there, I wouldn’t have cared if I lived or died,” Lara said. “She stayed positive and provided comfort always. It was busy — between appointments and paperwork. She had a book of papers and cards of things to do.”

“You just do it. My mother died when I was 19. You do what needs to be done,” Shilo said.

This was a role reversal for Shilo. During her 14 years of marriage, her husband always took care of everything.

“To actually have to do everything was a little overwhelming. Finance was probably the easiest. They did a good job,” Shilo said.

“My (family readiness group) ladies were great. Caroline Webster gave me a packet of information before I left. It had information about everything in D.C. and who to contact, so I didn’t go over there blind. We’ve never relied on anyone before. It was difficult at first, but it was a great gift — all the meals and helping with the kids,” she added.

If she could offer advice to other spouses that may be in a similar situation, Shilo said to ask questions. She said while the Department of the Army did most of the coordination, the rear detachment commander was also a great help.

“The rear detachment’s goal was for us to not worry about the little stuff, and that happened — thanks to a great rear detachment,” she said.

Shilo emphasized to call ahead to ensure lodging is reserved. She said Malone House was the closest, and was a great place for her and her mother-in-law to have as a place to sleep, shower and re-energize.

“You don’t want to stay off post. For me, I wanted to be with my husband every minute that I could,” Shilo said.

The room had a computer and Internet access, which was also helpful.

“Knowing that I was going to be staying at the Malone House before I got there was a relief. It was so convenient, within walking distance to everything,” she said. “Once lodging is taken care of, then you can just worry about taking care of your husband.”

Shilo said when she thinks about the whole experience, she is grateful she was able to be by her husband’s side. While she worried about her kids back in Alaska, it was comforting knowing her aunt was here taking care of them.

“It’s hard to turn to strangers, but the wives of the FRG were ready. The FRG did a great job, between taking the kids where they needed to go and providing meals. Really great,” she said. “I never did the FRG thing before.”

Now Shilo understands the importance of the FRG role.

“We are all in the same boat. Knowing now that I have experienced it, it makes me have a different outlook,” she said. “I want to be more involved to help other wives.”

With titanium plates in his jaw and shoulder, and another surgery expected next month at Bassett Army Community Hospital, the journey from Walter Reed back to Fort Wainwright has not been easy, but the family is happy to be home together.

Before getting home, Shilo said her husband was really scared of the kids’ reaction — the way he looked, walked and talked. He was also scared to walk in the snow, not wanting to re-injure himself by falling.

Shilo said the children were a little nervous about seeing their dad again.

“They were afraid they were going to break him,” she said.

They asked a lot of questions, and Lara showed them his scars.

“I really tried to communicate with the kids from Walter Reed. Every day was like a journal of what was happening when I talked to them on the phone,” she said. “I would tell them that dad has changed, but the kids pulled it together and did well.”

Chessa, 13, said she was nervous when her dad was getting ready to come home. Tauntiana, 12, said she was happy he was going to come home.

“We were happy, because Mom told us he looks good, and (we were) thankful that he was all right,” she said.

The youngest, 9-year-old Julien, said, “I felt shy and nervous at first, but I felt so good and happy that he was coming home safe. He looked a lot better than we thought.”

“The kids are doing a good job and help me out a lot,” Lara said with a smile.

Julien has even been to physical therapy with his dad a few times and knows his dad’s injuries.

“The physical therapist was impressed that Julien knows all of the bones and what Pete needs to do,” Shilo said.