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It's great to have an update on Michael Oreskovic. You can read much more about his story here. His father, Mike, was one of the founders of this site.
By Rebecca Taylor, The Register-Guard
Five young veterans injured in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq stood before a small gathering on Wednesday and heard two words they don’t hear often enough: Thank you.
“We’re here to say thank you to these young men today because they laid it on the line, as have veterans of other generations,” said Richard Casey, district commander for the American Legion and a veteran of the Korean War. “These young people are members of a very large organization — American veterans.”
Casey presented the men with American Legion membership cards and $500 checks, courtesy of the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping seriously injured veterans of the war on terror. The group awarded 1,000 grants to disabled veterans across the country on a first-come, first-served basis.
Greetings everyone. Well, after a very long year in Iraq and an even longer thirteen months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, my son is on his way home. YIPPEEEEEE
We got the call a few days ago and since the Army did not process his extension in a timely manner, they decided to finalize his paperwork and get him on the next available flight to Oregon. God bless the bureauracrat that shuffled the paperwork. :-) Needless to say it was a very emotional moment for Michael, taking off his uniform for the last time and packing it away. He is officially a civilian again, with many new challenges ahead of him. I know he will do well.
Greetings everyone,
Well, it is time for me to head back to Oregon. It is a bittersweet time for me as I feel I am needed in both places at the same time. Michael is doing well on his own, I knew he would, and I am comfortable in leaving the rest of paperwork and rehab for him to handle. He is still having issues with the electric arm, but other than that, he is good to go. That being said, I will try to catch everyone up on what has been happening these past many weeks since the last update.
Link to Full Article
By Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post
GETTYSBURG, Pa. The petite young woman with the ponytail, hoop earrings and little red knapsack holds her fingers in her ears and shudders with each crash of the cannon.
One by one, the line of Civil War-era artillery pieces goes off -- shh-BOOM! -- each one a little closer, and each one a little more jarring. As the shots come near, the woman has both hands covering the sides of her face, and with the final blast, about 30 feet distant, she turns away in pain as if she has just been slapped.
Michael Oreskovic is featured in the following story on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Their content is usually for subscribers only, but the following link should work for the next 7 days. Leave a comment if you have a problem.
UPDATE: You can view photos Mike took of the artist at work on the same day the reporter was there.
Link to Full Article
By GREG JAFFE, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON -- Two years ago, Chuck O'Brien was in Hollywood making cadavers for "CSI: Miami." His masterpieces included a partially digested torso that spilled from a shark and a finger that oozed sweat.
Greetings everyone,
Sorry I have been remiss at posting updates lately. Things have been very hectic around here since our return from Colorado. Michael is out on the town with Cindy and Bryant Jacobs and his girlfriend Alicia. They had breakfast with the dolphins at the aquarium this morning and I hope to post some pics later.
Peggy Baker from Operationfirstresponse.org stopped by again today. We had a nice chat and she met some of the new members of the POWr. (Prisoners of Walter Reed) ;-) Some of the guys have patches made up since they have been here so long. Peggy has been so helpful to so many soldiers and their families, it is a blessing for us all. I feel very fortunate to have met her and Cindy during our time here. Most of you have read that Cindy is now an .ORG and will be able to help even more families now. Check out operationsecondchance.org for more info.
Greetings everyone,
Just a quick note to say hi and let everyone know that Michael and I are doing well in the high elevation. (those steps up the hills to get to the next building are killing me) LOL. Anyway, Michael skied yesterday for the first time and did real well. Tomorrow he hits the slopes again for his last training lesson before the races on Friday. (everyone one wins in these races, so speed is not an issue)
We've had quite a few new visitors to the site because of Michael's recent interview on C-SPAN. One commenter suggested re-posting the Michael Oreskovic Fund information, which we thought was a great idea. Follow the link to this previous entry to find out how you can support Michael and his family during his rehab.
Greetings everyone,
Michael and I are off to Aspen in the morning so I thought I would post a short update. He received the fittings for all his arms this week and everything went well. (He even has one to use when lifting weights and working out) ;-) John J. is itching to get back into shape now that his profile has been lifted.
Michael's C-SPAN interview is available on the web for viewing at any time for those of you with a reasonable internet connection and REAL Media player. Go to the C-SPAN web site and click on the link to "Conversations With U.S. Soldiers Wounded in Iraq".
UPDATE: C-Span called today and said Michael's interview be played again tonight, the 29th, at 9:30PM on C-Span2 and then again next Sat. at 8:00PM on cspan as stated below.
Greetings everyone,
Tomorrow is a big day for us. New arms are supposed to arrive and final fittings will be on Wednesday. I hope all goes well. We just finished watching Michael's interview on Cspan, Wounded Soldiers from Iraq, and he did really well, IMHO. :-) Anyway, it was on at 8PM east coast time and will re-air again on Saturday at 8PM. I was glad they did not edit out anything. It lasts about 45 minutes. Hopefully, many of you will be able to see it.
Greetings everyone,
I hope everyone is doing well and Happy Easter to all. Things are a bit weird around here for the past few days. An internet worm has invaded the system here at the Mologne House so connections are sporadic at best.
Greetings everyone,
Michael is recovering from having all four wisdom teeth removed on Monday. Ouch!!! He is doing well and went to the movie with Cindy and a couple of other soldiers tonight. I sure hope they don't see a comedy, it really hurts him to laugh.
Greetings everyone. Longtime no report, things have been pretty busy around here lately and I have been pretty sick. It seems all I can do is keep up with his day to day routine and I am exhausted. Michael goes in for eye surgery in the morning so I thought I'd better post a few words to let everybody know how things have been going the last month or so.
Greetings everyone.
We made it home safely after a long day at Fort Lewis. We got up at o330 and headed out about an hour later. It takes about four hours to make the trip from home. It rained all the way there until we were about 20 miles south of lewis. Even though it was cold, it didn't rain the rest of the day there until we were about 20 miles south on the way home. (It even started to snow a bit about an hour out but turned into a hard rain with high winds for the rest of the trip. Needless to say that kind of weather is no fun to drive home in late at night. Well, enough of the boring stuff, on with the visit....
The following is another in depth article regarding Michael Oreskovic from Jeff Wright with The Register-Guard. As he mentions in the article, you can donate to a fund that has been established for him. You can find all the details in this entry we posted previously. This article has been reprinted in full with permission.
Link to Full Article
By Jeff Wright, The Register-Guard
All Michael John Oreskovic wants for Christmas is his left arm back.
The Army specialist from Eugene lost the arm in a suicide bomber's car attack in Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 11 - on his final mission after a yearlong stint in Iraq. The attack came four days after he was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in a similar attack Oct. 5.
The 23-year-old was flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he's undergone 11 surgeries in preparation for a prosthesis. He faces at least six more months of rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Greetings everyone. Wow, what a long couple of days it was but we finally made it home, safe and sound. Michael did pretty good on the flight home except the rules have changed since he last flew and having military orders doesn't mean spit at the TSA security points. Standing in those long lines with so many people real close was a bit unnerving for him but he handled it ok. He did get his Gerber multitool confiscated, which really upset him. He carried that thing the whole time he was in Iraq and forgot it was in the bottom compartment of what he ended up with as a carry on. We already had to pay extra for some bag weight and were at the limit of checked items. Bummer. If we could have had more time, I could have sent it in the mail but the other plane was getting ready to take off and he did not want to miss it. I sure hope the TSA manager puts the tool to good use as I doubt they just throw them away. (evil grin) Done venting now....
Greetings all. Well, it took over two weeks worth of running around and paperwork, we finally got the go ahead for convalescent leave for Michael. The bad news is we have to wait until after midnight for the final sign out and if no one knows where the papers are, the sgt may get a call at 4AM. LOL. It is amazing to me the amount of paperwork that was generated and the signatures that were needed. With all the meds Michael is on there would have been no way he could have gotten all of it done in time. I think they need to streamline the process for less stress to the soldiers. Not all of them have family members available to help with stuff like this. Sigh....
Greetings everyone. Well, I made it back to DC without any sleep and ended up having a very eventful day. Many thanks to Cindy for the ride from the airport after my turbulence ridden flight. No sleep for me needless to say.
Michael is doing well, mom is about done for a few days. She hit her limit today I think so my return was just in time. Lots to get ready for seems to be the order of the day. :-)
Greetings everyone. Great news from the land of Walter Reed. Michael was discharged from the hospital and is now an outpatient. HOOAH!!! No more IV's and noisey hallways when he tries to sleep. Now the hard work starts I guess. Lots of OT and PT to be done in the coming months as he learns how to use his body and muscles to control the different prosthesis devices.
Greetings everyone.
Sorry for being so tardy in my updates, it has been a very trying last couple of weeks. The good news is Michael is on an overnight pass to stay at the Mologne house overnight. (edited the bad news part after reading it) Sometimes discression is the better part of valor. LOL.
Greetings everyone,
The last few days have been pretty hectic with a lot of ups and downs. Michael had surgery again today, so he was pretty out of it for the most part. However, he did get down the hall yesterday to visit with Travis Majors for a couple hours. After a few minutes it was like they were back in a Stryker in Mosul recounting some of the missions they were on. We decided to leave the two alone for some time together and I was surprised they talked for so long. Needless to say, it was a very emotional time for them both. Travis is leaving WR tomorrow for a hospital in Georgia that specializes in spinal cord injuries. Please keep this fine young man in your prayers, he has a long road ahead of him.
Hello all,
Michael received a direct order from a 1st Lt today and followed it to the letter.
Greetings everyone.
Michael had a pretty good day today. Lots of visitors bearing gifts for Veteran's day which he shared with some of the other guys on the ward. If all goes well, he will have his IV removed next wed. and be free of any attachments that restrict movement. We can hardly wait for him to get outside for a while. He tends to get hit with cabin fever every now and then. :-)
Michael Oreskovic was one of the wounded soldiers that met with the President and the First Lady yesterday. Mike Sr. has the photos.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush paid a bedside visit to wounded soldiers on Tuesday, then predicted victory for their comrades in Iraq in their battle against terrorists "who want to stop democracy" there. [...]
The president and his wife, Laura, went from room to room in two wards of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center to visit privately 42 soldiers being treated for injuries ranging from broken bones and minor injuries to missing legs and severe skull injuries. The president also met with the family of a soldier who was in surgery.
Hello everyone,
Just a quick note that Michael's surgery went as well as expected today but someone messed up and forgot to turn on his meds so his pain went through the roof. Needless to say, his mother and I will be in a few faces tomorrow morning. Grrrr..... Then to top it all off the docs forgot to enter the med rates so the oncall doc needed to be called which takes a long time. Lessons learned.
I will be spending the night with him to ensure his meds get pushed at the right time so my attitude in the morning should be pretty high strung. Overall, the care here has been real good but it is those little mess ups that really set me off. I can only imagine what happens to soldiers without family members there looking out for them. God bless them all for they have given enough already and deserve the best.
Tomorrow will definately be busy. Lots of appts. and people to see. Kathleen from soldiers angels stopped by and I didn't even recognize her. It just goes to show you how old and tired I am having being here these last two weeks. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.
Take care everyone, I will write more tomorrow and talk more about the positive stuff. ;-)
Respectfully yours,
Mike Oreo
p.s. Scott Thorne, I have a gift for you upon your return brought to us by some great stryker families who visited lately. Michael says Hi and to hang in there.
Hello everyone. Another long . day at the hospital running around trying to get everything in line. Hurry up and wait is still the military way. ;-) Michael had a nice chat with Gen Abazaid the other day and I cornered his aid to let him know the soldier next to my son had not received his purple heart yet. Twenty minutes later, this fine soldier received his PH from the General himself. the poor kid didn't get the medal in Iraq, when he got here the first try was a debaucle with someone misplacing the paperwork, so I had to say something to make it right. I guess that was my first Advocacy work outside the family and it felt really good to do this for him. (He is a 2id soldier too, 2nd brg that was sent over from Korea)
Greetings everyone,
First off I have to tell you it is driving me crazy to be here at Walter Reed Med ctr without my rifle. Man this is a target rich environment. Big rats, grey squirrels all over the place and tonight we saw the biggest possum I have ever seen. If it was legal to have a gun on this base I would almost pay money to hunt here. LOL. Pretty tough being an Oregon boy in the big city of DC. ;-)
The following is front-page article in Eugene's The Register-Guard newspaper regarding Michael Oreskovic. It provides an excellent summary of Michael's military career, his current condition at Walter Reed, and his future plans. The Register-Guard has graciously allowed us to reprint the entire article here.
[Link to Article]
By Jeff Wright, The Register-Guard
A 23-year-old soldier from Eugene will undergo an eighth surgery today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after losing his left arm in a suicide bomber's attack near Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 11.
Michael John Oreskovic, a corporal with the Army's 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division based at Fort Lewis, Wash., was injured on his final mission after a yearlong stint in Iraq. The attack came four days after he was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in a similar attack Oct. 5.
As I mentioned previously there are a couple ways we can help Michael Oreskovic as he begins his recovery. Click below for all the details.
(edited in May 2005 by Mike Oreskovic)
As with Scott Thorne, we've created a new category for updates regarding Michael Oreskovic. Provided below are a few short updates Mike has either emailed to me or posted previously on our Bulletin Board. In a follow up entry I will include a couple different ways we can support Michael and his family as they start down the long road to recovery.
Greetings everyone. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest Thank You to all of you, My Stryker Family. The amount of emails, comments, messages and prayers for my family and especially for my son has been more than I could ever have imagined. Although my heart is heavy and burdened by the loss of so many good men from TFO I know they will not be forgotten.
Michael is progressing well and his latest operation was a success. That means he will be heading stateside soon and through the Grace of God and all the prayers and efforts from all of you, his mother and I will be able to be at his side. All I could think of yesterday was Get me off this rollercoaster soon. Then, the phone rang, a few extra emails, and like a miracle, everything fell into place. :-)
As many of you may have heard by now, one of the soldiers injured in the car bomb attack yesterday is Mike Oreo's son, Michael. Just so there is no confusion, "Oreo" is not his real last name, but it does begin with "O" - we'll leave it at that. Mike is one of the founders of this site, so the news became very personal for those of us that have gotten to know his family this past year.
Michael was flown to Germany where is currently being treated. Mike and his wife were able to speak to him on the phone last night and reported that his condition is improving, which we are very thankful for. Apparently Michael wants to be able to get messages from his buddies in Iraq, but he can't access his email right now. Consequently, those of you in his unit who want to say hello can send a note to his dad at mike(at)strykernews.com . Mike will try and get those messages to his son as soon as possible. I also wanted to pass this along from Mike:
Please let everyone know that he is doing better and thanks everyone for their thoughtfullness and prayers.
Finally, there are many others hurting today as well. For the families and friends of the fallen soldier and those wounded, you remain foremost in our thoughts and prayers.