Walk in another man's boots Published Jan. 14, 2009 By Staff Sgt. Ronald Lafosse 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Most people in the military know what to expect on deployment, but many don't think about the possibility of being injured. For one Team McConnell member, that possibility became a reality. Master Sgt. David Webber, 22nd Medical Operations Squadron mental health flight chief, didn't plan on being injured during his deployment, but life doesn't always go according to plan. His deployment started out like all his previous ones. With out processing completed, he said goodbyes to his wife, Tech. Sgt. Debbie Webber, 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, and his two sons Noah, one month, and David, 4. From there, a quick stop for combat skills training, and now was headed for Forward Operating Base Orgun-E, in eastern Afghanistan. Days after landing, the base clinic treated eight Afghani children injured from a mortar attack. Sergeant Webber assisted with patient documentation and helped where the doctors and nurses needed. He began keeping a journal, writing down his experiences and cataloging daily events. He shared excerpts with his teammates back at McConnell. His words spawned a toy drive that provided toys and comfort to children half way around the world. Members from the 22nd Medical Group shipped more than 180 stuffed animals and toys to injured Afghani children. Sergeant Webber spent many days helping to improve the morale of servicemembers. Despite scarce resources he would find ways to bring them a little peace, whether it was with a soda, a bowl of soup, or just a moment of conversation where the stress could be forgotten. These were some of Sergeant Webber's highlighting moments. On Christmas Eve, he started his day just like all that had preceded it. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about that day. And then it happened. "I was standing there talking to the guys in the back of the truck and all of a sudden, I'm on all fours," said Sergeant Webber. "It was like someone hit me in the face with a shovel." "I didn't know if this was the first of many rockets or if that was the only rocket, but I needed to get under some type of cover," he said. "As I was crawling towards the protective area, I noticed the blood was just pouring out of my sleeve. It was at that point I realized I was in serious trouble." Because of the quick response from medical personnel, he lost only two pints of blood. "Luckily, as I crawled into the protective area one of the medics saw the trail of blood I was leaving," Sergeant Webber said. "He told me to roll over and he took some scissors and cut my shirt open. That was when he saw the wound that I had." The medic applied a tourniquet to Sergeant Webber's upper right chest area. The extent of his injuries was so severe that even the tourniquet did not stop the bleeding completely. "What he had to do was loosen it, pull it over as hard as he could and really crank it down," Sergeant Webber said. After wrapping a blanket around Sergeant Webber, the medic then moved on to other injured personnel in the protective area. Once back at the clinic, the surgical team started asking him his name and other questions to check his responses. "I finally pulled off the oxygen mask and said 'Sergeant Webber, combat stress, you know me,'" Sergeant Webber explained. The members of the surgical team were not the only Airmen at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E who knew Sergeant Webber. Another member of Team McConnell, Senior Airman Michael Fulton, 22nd Medical Operations Squadron medical technician, was working the flight evacuations board at the clinic when Sergeant Webber was brought in. He immediately recognized the name, having worked with Sergeant Webber here at McConnell, but was force to put his emotions on hold and continue executing his duties. The remaining hours of Airman Fulton's shift seemed to be the longest of his tour as he waited for a chance to check on Sergeant Webber. "That evening, after he got out of the [operating room], I stayed back after my shift had ended to see him and check on his status," said Airman Fulton "The next morning I came back to check on him again and at that time [the doctors] were removing him from the [breathing tube] and his first words were asking for a Mountain Dew" Soon after, Sergeant Webber was on his way to Walter Reed hospital, where he would receive most of his follow-up care.. Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, awarded Sergeant Webber, the Purple Heart medal during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Jan. 8. "I was flattered and really honored that the Air Force Chief of Staff wanted to award the Purple Heart to a master sergeant from Kansas," Sergeant Webber said. Although Sergeant Webber is happy to be home with his wife and children, he still feels he didn't get closure by saying his goodbyes and finishing his tour. One of the good things about Sergeant Webber's deployment is that now he knows what he wants to do next in his career. He wants to become a first sergeant. "Sergeant Webber is a great NCO and I know that whatever he puts his mind to, he will achieve it," said Airman Fulton.