Army Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell (Utah) Knows About True Sacrifice ~Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell knows

about sacrifice. Shortly after 9/11, our cou ntry headed to war. First Iraq, and then Afghanistan. September 11th started a n ew life journey for many servicemen and women.

~Please meet an inspirational man, Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell. http://bluestarriders.com/stories/gordon_ewall.htm ~I met up with Gordy and his wonderful wife today at the new 9 11 monument in Sa ndy, Utah. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=17207293 ~Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell knows about sacrifice. Shortly after 9/11, our co untry headed to war. First Iraq, and then Afghanistan. September 11th started a new life journey for many servicemen and women. All gave some --- and some ga ve all. Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell would add and I like to add to that that --some are still giving. "There's a war after the war. And those soldiers will battle that war for the rest of their life," he said. Master Sergeant Gordon Ew ell gave his heart, soul -- his life to his country, and he got a different life in return. Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell (Gordy) first joined the army at 18. ~After the Twin Towers came crashing down on 9 11, Master Sergeant Gordon Ewell left his family and headed for Iraq as an IED Hunter --- a searcher of bombs. A nd he found plenty. But the bombs also found him --six times. Gordy relates, " You have this sensation of being inside a thunder cloud and the blinding light o f a lightning strike." Gordy's injuries were extensive. The most damage came f rom his traumatic brain injury. "You don't know how to be injured. You don't w ant to be restricted. It's very difficult. You always expect to come home whol e" he says. "What's hard about the anger is --- how to direct it. You're angry about being hurt. You're angry that you're broken or disabled, but you're not a ngry that you went and were a defender of freedom." Some things, Gordy says to me, are worth sacrificing for. "Even had someone told me, "OK Gordy, you're going to get blown up multiple time s, you're going to lose your sight, and your hearing. You're not going to walk or drive or go to the bathroom or swallow, and this is going to be your fate,' I would still do it again. There's not an inch of soil in this country that's not worth fighting for and defending." Master Sergeant (MSG) Gordon L. Ewell, was born on June 8th, 1967 and graduated from Emery County High School in May 1985. He joined the Utah Army National Guar d on August 28, 1985 with initial assignment to the 1457th Engineer Battalion as a Combat Engineer. In August 1991, he transitioned to the Active Guard Reserve program, with Delta Company, of the 1457th Engineer Battalion. His 24 year career has been marked with distinction through notable accomplishme nts that render him an excellent example for other Soldiers to follow. MSG Ewell has served in several military occupational specialties. These include a Commun ications Specialist, a Combat Engineer, a Logistics Specialist, and a Personnel Administration Section Sergeant. Throughout his outstanding military career he h as served in key positions as Training and Administration Specialist, Supply Ser geant, Combat Engineer Squad Leader and Personnel Section Sergeant. From MSG Ewell's initial entry into the Utah National Guard, his superiors recog nized his outstanding initiative and a deep care for his fellow Soldiers. He has

been recognized as one who would do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission , or help a fellow Soldier in need. Furthermore, MSG Ewell has attended numerous courses to sustain his military proficiency. He has graduated from over 30 Army Resident Schools, graduating as the Honor Graduate, or in the top 10% of his cl ass, from nearly every one of them. He has completed, with a Superior rating, over 1,000 hours of Army Correspondence Training. Additionally, MSG Ewell went back to school, after work, to complete an Associate of Science degree from Snow Coll ege in April of 1999. MSG Ewell's most challenging assignments have been his recent two overseas deplo yments; One in the Federal Republic of Germany from February to May 2001, and th e other in Iraq from December 2005 to November 2006, during Operations Desert St orm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He took both of these mobilizations with great commitment as an opportunity to serve his Country. During his service in Iraq, MSG Ewell performed 59 challenging and dangerous missions, which involved both t he coordination of Convoy Route Clearance and Route Clearance Observation missio ns, based upon his knowledge and expertise in these areas. MSG Ewell was vital i n the creation of the first Route Clearance Handbook, and was further recognized by the Corps staff as the Multi-National Corps Subject Matter Expert, in Route Cl earance. His lessons learned in Iraq have been published in many Army periodical s. MSG Ewell led over 33% of the missions he was on in Iraq. He was recognized by h is superiors to be unparalleled in his physical stamina and toughness complement ed with superior technical and tactical capabilities. This was clearly demonstra ted on the battlefield when his efforts under heavy enemy fire were unrivaled, w hich earned him the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge. During that t ime, his vehicle was also hit by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on 6 separat e occasions. One of the explosions that he endured was so powerful that it blew his impacted wisdom teeth out the side of his jaw. In addition to the major damage done to hi s jaw, he also suffers from broken vertebrae in his neck, Damage to his lower sp ine, permanent loss of hearing (leaving him legally deaf), anatomical loss of hi s right eye, and peripheral/bi-lateral vision loss in his left eye (which has le ft him legally blind). He also suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurologic Bladder, loss of balance, abnormality of gait, loss of working memory, and he s uffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). MSG Ewell returned from his deployment in December 2006, to the 640th Regiment ( Regional Training Institute) as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, for the P ersonnel & Administration Section. He was assigned there, until being Medically Retired, from injuries sustained while at war in Iraq, in February 2010. Today, he continues to serve with distinction, as a Member of the Blue Star Ride rs, as a Volunteer at the George E. Wahlen V.A. Hospital in Salt Lake City, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion, and with various other Military Related Serv ice Organizations. MSG(Ret) Ewell, currently resides in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Military Awards and Decorations Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Medal Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Army Achievement Medal Army Good Conduct Medal with 6 Bronze Knots Army Reserve Components Achievement with 3 Bronze Oak Leafs National Defense Service Medal with Bronze star

Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Devise and Silver Hourglass NCO Professional Development Ribbon, (3rd Award) Army Service Ribbon Overseas Service Ribbon Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (3rd Award) Combat Action Badge Diver and Mechanic Badge, with wheeled vehicles clasp Utah Commendation Medal (3rd award) Utah 2002 Olympic Winter Games Service Ribbon Utah Emergency Service Ribbon Utah Achievement Ribbon Utah Recruiting Ribbon Utah Service Ribbon Joint Meritorious Unit Award Army Superior Unit Award http://adampaulgreen.com/army-master-sergeant-gordon-ewe ...