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In jured so ld ie rs re tu r n lilts.spiritse r m ad e 'it to t he m e s s hal l That w as J u n e 14 , n e ar ly f iv e w e e ksThirty s e co n d s a ft e r hewalked in to ago , The 21-year o ld A rm y p riv atehis f ri en d 's r oo m , t he g un f ir ed a b ul le t first class r etu rn ed h om e t o M e th ue nPfc, Richard HM e lbe rg s aid he re- in to hi s s tom ach . fo r t he fi rs t tim e Fr id ay n ight o n am e m be rs s ee in g his fr ie n d ho ld in g a . M elbe rg said he is su re it w as an ac - I t ra in f ro m W a lt er Reed Army Hosp i -p is to l, bu t tho ught n oth in g o f i t. T he cid en t bu t his f ir st r e ac ti o n w a s a n ge r . tal in W ash in g tOn . " "h an dg u n ls.standard i ss ue t o s ol di er s '1 was , yell ing a t th e k id : 'Ican 't be - H e h as lo s t n e ar ly 40 p o un d s ,i n t hein his Brad l e y tank u n it. lie ve y o u sho t m e ,'" h e s aid . ho sp ital'a n d is d own t o 157 .H e was 19 5M elbe rg had go ne to a ro om in hfs : W ith in m in ute s , p aram ed ics had w he n he le ft l io me . Bu t h e w as ingoodA rm y bar racks in B aghd ad , I raq , to M elbe rg o n a s tr e tche r an d o n t he w ay sp ir its as he talke d abo ut ge tt in g re stg ath er b ud die s fo r d in ne r. B ut he nev- to th e infirmary. a nd r ec ov er in g f ro m t he s ho o ti ng '., ,

By ALEx QUINONESSTAFF WR I TER

M elbe rg d eclin ed to id en tify h iss ho o te r a nd t he f ri en d w ho w it ne ss edt he s ho o ti n g, becaus e t h e i n ve s t ig a -t io n i s o n g o in g . T h e m a n w ho s ho t himwas o n e ra nk a bo ve , b ut M el be rgs tr e ss e d t ha t w a s i n si gn i fi ca n t" He w as ju st m y A rm y b ud dy ," M el -b e rg s ai d .W hile he d o esn 't kn ow 'w hat h is,, P le a se s e e S P I R IT S , p a ge A 7'11

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, S P I R I T S : In ju r e d M e thu e n so ld ie rr e tu rn e d hom e by tra in F r id ay , . . C ontinued from Page A 1 be e n ab le . to a r re s t s e ve ra l o f t he A fte r m ultip le su rge r ie s , M el-p eo p le be hin d the e xp lo s io n s . be rg has a large sC(8 I ' p th e m id -fr ie nd w as d oin g w ith th e gun , he M elbe rg sa id the p r iso n e rs a te d ie o f h is abd om e n , tw o 'bu lle ti s c o n fi d en t t he i n ve s ti ga ti o n will blin d fo ld ed an d p lace d in s id e th e scar s - o n e in fro n t an d o n e inp ro ve th e sho otin g was a n acc i - tank w ith the so ld ie rs . B ut the re back ~ an d a s t il l- te nd er in cis io nd en t Eve n so , th e so ld ie r co uld be . ar e n eve r m ore than tw o p r iso n - from the br e a th in g tu be in h isp u n is he d fo r ne glige n ce . e r s p e r tank. '. right s id e . 'M elbe rg 's p ar e n ts sa id d oc to r s "W e d on 't w an t them talking to . O n ce a 210 -p o u n d n o se tack lebe lie ve th e bu lle t r ip p e d thro u gh . e ach o the r ," M elbe rg said o n ' the M ethu e n High S c h o ol f o ot -the ir so n 's live r , bo u nce d o ff h is M elbe rg 's p ar e n ts sa id the ir ball te am , M elbe rg had to trave lr ib s , h it again st 'h is lu ng s an d son d oe s n ot rem em be r m uch o f by tra in fro m W alte r Reed Hos p i -p u nche d 'th ro ugh his back . le av- w hat hap p en ed afte r the acc id en t tal becau se d oc to rs d id n ot w an tin g a bigge r ho le than the o n e it b e cau se he has be e n o n he avy to r isk d am age to h is w eake n e dm ad e com in g i n . m e d ica tio n . H e 's b e e n tran sp o r t- lu n g s from the chan ge in air p r e s -"Exit w o u nd s are a lw ays big - e d so m an y tim es o il a -s tre tche r su re that com es from fly in g . .g e r ," M e lbe rg sa id . tha t he has d e ve lo p e d tw o ' bald H iS p are nts a re gr ate fu l to th e 'W hile it w as th e fir s t t im e M el-' sp ots o n t he back o fhis he ad fro m A rm y an d e sp ec ia lly to th e co m-be rg -had be e n sho t, i t-w as n o t th e . th e chaffin g . . m u n ity fo r a l l th e p ho n e cal ls an dfir s t t im e he w as sho t a t. Ne ar iy R ho na M elbe rg w on 't s o o n fo r- o ffe rs o f he lp the y have re ce iv e d ;e ve ry d ay he w as in I raq he sp e n t, g e t th e s lght o f he r so n w ith a ' .M elbe rg will sp en d the n ext 30seve ra l ho ur s in B rad le y tan ks , bre a th in g tu be com in g o ut o f h is d ays hom e on co n vale sce n t le avew hich w ere o fte n sho t a t by in su r- r igh t lu ng, o n a 'ho sp ital b e d a t be fo re re tu rn in g to W alte r Reedge n ts . ' L an d s tu hl R e gio n a l M e d ica l Cen, Hosp i t a l . Ifh e i s c le ar ed tofly, heT he bigge st th r e a t , he S aid , a re te r in G e rm an y. will the n g o t o F or t H o od in T exas. r e m o te ly d e to n at ed b om bs , w h ic h "It was d e vas tat in g . H e w as . w he re he will l ik ely b e a ss ig ne d aare h id de n 'be n ea th th e co u ntry 's scary lo o kin g," she 'sa id w ith a .d esk jo b fo r s ix m on th s - an as -w id e sp re ad garbage an d ru bb le . te n se vo ice . "W he n yo u se e it 's s ignm e n t he say s he d re ad s to '"The w ho le co u ntry is co ve re d yo ur o wn child i t make s a b ig dif- think a bo u t . .T he n th e A rm y willin trash . They hid e th e bom bs to te r e n ce ," . e va lu a te w he the r he is s tr o n glo ok lik e tr ash ," M elbe rg said The A rm y calle d M elbe rg 's p ar - e n o u gh to re tu rn to the fie ld .abo ut the -in su rg en ts . "T he y w ere e nts w ith in h ou rs . In an y eve n t, h e said .h e d oe sp utt in g it in d ead an im als at o n e The y w e r e to ld tha th is chan ce s n ot p lan to s tay in th e A rm y afte rp o in t." o f s u rv iva l w e re go o d , b u t th e y his se rv ice is u p i n Ap r i l 20 0 6.H e sa id h is u n it can e xp e c t to co u ld n o t gu ar an te e an yth in g . Tho u gh he ar r iv e d hom e Fr idaycom e acro s s a bom b when e ve r Days la te r , the A rm y o ffe r e d to n igh t, all he had e ate n by n o o nthe y ro ll in to a tow n an d n o pea- fl y ' them to G e rm an y to s e e him ; ye s te r d ay w ah gran o la bar . _ . r .p le ar e aro un d . T he tho ugh t is o b- w hich w orr ie d the m :_ the A r m y 'Fo r n ow , he p lan s to j us t t ak e it , ivio u s :I t is to o qu ie t o n lyd o e s tha t w hen a pa tie n t is in e asy and r e s t . I n a co u p le of I' 'T he p e o p le k n ow w h at is go in g cr i tical co n d itio n . m on ths , qe ho p e s to g et b ac k in to ; to n ," he s aid . "H ew as lis te d as ve ry se r io u s ," . th e gym an d m aybe gain back IMe lb e rg s ai d t ha t s o ld ie rs have. Dan a M e lbe rg sa id . som e o f th e w e ight he l o s t. a, " t~