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On February 24th, 2007, a terrible tragedy happened to my family; Mark Ecker, my brother-in-law, was victimized by an I.E.D. while on a mission in Iraq. It was a blow that by all rights should have taken Mark's life. The I.E.D., which was the same type that is used to explode vehicles, detonated under Mark and his platoon. The explosion hit eight of the platoon members, but by some miracle, everyone survived.

Mark could retell you the tale over and over, because he remembers everything. His eyes swam with memories as he explained to me the sensation of floating after the bomb had detonated, and how everything was going so slow. He said that it was frightening when a chaplain was sent into the hospital to read him his will and testament. The doctors were unsure if Mark could pull through, with how much blood he had already lost, with one leg missing, the other badly battered.

By pure determination, Mark pulled through. It was difficult, however, to find that both his legs had been amputated, after he had thought he would be able to keep one. Mark says, "I looked down and saw that both were missing, and I was upset. I cried for two minutes, then wiped my eyes and said it wasn't over. I was going to walk again."

Now, in May of 2007, Mark is doing just that. After the help of doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center, he has progressed from being bed ridden, to the wheel chair, to walking with two canes, then one cane, and finally, what he has been longing for-without any aid. He is proud of his prosthetic legs. You can see it in his eyes whenever he walks in them. He said it is almost as if he's gotten his legs back.

Mark has been a true inspiration to all wounded soldiers. He is living proof that even such a great loss cannot take away your faith. He has always been a determined and ambitious soul, but this experience has only proved that fact tenfold.

Mark has been on the news many times, with interviews and many fund raisers to gather money for his family to travel back and forth for visiting. It will not be long til he is out of Walter Reed and back to his home in Colorado, where he will be glad to see the rolling hills and breath in the familiar freshness of mountainous air.

We are all very proud of him, for his ambition, his positive attitude, and his will to carry on despite the changes. He is still the man we know and love, so easy to joke with about things that would normally bother a veteran. But he is strong, and for that strength, he is recognized throughout Western Mass, particularly his hometown of E. Longmeadow, as a true hero, and will forever be etched in the hearts of many.

Learn more about this author, Beth Gaboury.
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