|
|
||
Stafford County resident Brian Doyne lost an arm and an eye in Iraq, but not the will to compete or his wicked sense of humor Date published: 6/1/2007
By CATHY DYSON Brian Doyne scales the four-story wall like a spider. His body is tight against the rock facade, not dangling by a rope, out of control. His moves are so fluid, it's hard to tell which he uses more--arms or legs--to propel himself. He's not like some of the buff guys nearby, whose biceps look like Popeye's. They rely on their upper bodies to get them up the wall. Doyne doesn't have that kind of power anymore. He left a lot of his physical strength, along with an arm and an eye, on a roadside near Tikrit two years ago. But the 27-year-old didn't lose his tough attitude or his wicked sense of humor. His new favorite tattoo shows a fearsome grim reaper holding an hourglass. Below the ripples of the reaper's robe is a tiny stick figure representing Doyne. The left arm is severed, on the ground. The right hand is giving the death-bearer the finger. That pretty much sums up the Army sergeant who specialized in explosive ordnance disposal. "It definitely takes a different kind of sense of humor to laugh at everything, which is pretty much what I do," said Doyne, who lost his arm below the elbow. Consider the way he smirked when asked if the mortar blast, propelled by 22 pounds of explosives, caused any brain damage. "That's debatable," he said. "I took apart bombs for a living, and I had one explode in my face--and I'm still doing the same thing. These aren't the actions of a sane person." Sanity aside, Doyne said he's become a different person since February 2005, when he got hit 10 days after arriving in Iraq. He's not angry, like in the days after his body was mangled. He's not about to become a poster child for the Iraq war; in fact, he can't stand it when people act like his opinion should be more meaningful than anyone else's. But he does believe he's found his purpose. "I'm content with where I am and what I'm doing," he said. "Realistically, I lead a blessed life. It could be so much worse. I'm at peace with myself for the first time, and I've quit looking for a purpose. My purpose in life may be just to live." And that brings Doyne to the things he enjoys most.
Date published: 6/1/2007
Great story! I would recommend him to become a motivational speaker and to continue to help other military members that are facing the same struggles. He's also a great example for those who say that they just can't get out there an exercise.
|
|
|||||||||||||||
