Army Capt. Karla Frey never forgot the young Camp Pendleton Marine she met while volunteering Brooke Army Medical Center's burn unit in 2005.
Sgt. Merlin German, 22, was horrifically injured in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq - and suffered burns to more than 97 percent of his body. But German never entertained a thought of self-pity, Frey told the 121st Public Affairs Detachment:
“He was one of the strongest people I have ever met. He never complained about his pain, never wanted people to feel sorry for him, and he always had a positive attitude. He never doubted the fact that one day he would walk out of the hospital.”
German did walk out of that hospital. But three years later, German died after skin graft surgery.
Frey is currently deployed in Kosovo, serving on a NATO peacekeeping mission. She organized a 5K warrior run at Camp Bondsteel on the five-year anniversary of German's death - April 11, 2008 - to raise money for Arthur C. Luf Children’s Burn Camp.
Runners in the 5K helped raise more than $1,500. Frey's colleague, Staff Sgt. Pete Morrison, volunteers at Arthur C. Luf Children’s Burn Camp, and explained what the money will mean:
“Taking away all worries in a kid who has nothing but worry, is all part of why this is so special. That money gives a kid at the very least, one week of normalcy."
