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Lufkin soldier in stable condition

Jan-17-2008 » Filed Under: 4/2 SBCT

Here's an update on a 4/2 SBCT soldier who was recently wounded in Iraq.

By NICK WADE, The Lufkin Daily News

LUFKIN — A soldier from Lufkin was in stable condition Monday after sustaining serious injuries while on duty in Iraq.

Specialist David Daniel Corley was on patrol Thursday near Baquba, Iraq, when he was struck by enemy fire. The bullet shattered Corley's left jaw and passed into his neck, causing two fractured cervical vertebrae. The impact caused Corley to fall and injure his right shoulder, and fracture his right ankle.

Corley required an immediate tracheotomy for ventilation due to the extent of the neck wound. He was evacuated to Germany and was seen by a spinal surgeon, who reported that the path of the bullet had missed a major neck artery and the spinal cord by the "width of a BB," according to Corley's father, Dr. Ronald Corley of Lufkin.

The first family member to receive any news was Corley's wife, Nakita, who was contacted at 6:30 a.m. by the 332nd Army Hospital in Balad, Iraq. Natika, who is also from Lufkin, was "shocked" to hear that David had been shot in the face and neck and was in surgery at the time, said Dr. Corley.

Corley's family, consisting of nine brothers and three sisters, was notified and within two hours the Internet was filled with hundreds of people's prayers for him.

"No matter how you think you are prepared for news like that, it is overwhelming," Dr. Corley said.

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