Air Force amputee returns to Southwest Asia
by Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
1/9/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- The walls of the sand-colored structures echoed an off-beat sound through the still Christmas Eve morning at this air base in Southwest Asia. A steady one-two reverberated through the blanket of fog. It is a runner, one would assume, but the sound was not exactly the recurring beat one might expect for an approaching runner.
A man materialized out of the fog, obscured by the haze. As the runner got closer, one can see the Air Force physical training uniform, the lithe physique and the military hairstyle. The visual clues added up to a typical deployed Airman. But then the missing puzzle piece fell into place. Only when you look down to the Airman's leg do you see the metal extension below the knee. The opposing sounds now make sense. He's missing a leg.
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Ramakka, flight chief for the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Explosive Ordnance Flight, is an amputee. This deployment is his debut back in the war zone after stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan June 17, 2005.
"I've been trying to get to where the Air Force would deploy me ever since I got hurt," Sergeant Ramakka said. "I didn't see much point in staying in if I couldn't deploy."
It took three years of intense physical therapy, multiple surgeries and dogged determination, but Sergeant Ramakka is exactly where he set his sights to be.
"His presence is an inspiration to every military member," said Brig. Gen. H. D. Polumbo Jr., the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing commander.
Sergeant Ramakka remembered that fateful day as his wife waited at home for a call from her husband to wish her a happy birthday. Instead of birthday wishes; however, Sonja Ramakka heard the news she hoped to never hear.
The explosive ordnance disposal staff sergeant at the time went on a weapons-clearing operation to support the Afghan army. The operation involved searching for and collecting unidentified explosive ordnance.
"We were basically doing a sweep, checking things for booby traps and looking for anything large enough to be used to make an effective (improvised explosive device)," he said.
What was supposed to be a routine day in a relatively safe area, turned out to be a near-death experience.
"We were recovering a weapons cache. The area was supposed to be cleared of mines," he said. "The area was being used by the Afghan army, which is a good indicator the area is clear and it wasn't far outside (Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan), which is also a good indicator."
Maj. Matthew Conlan accompanied the EOD team to get an idea of what their job entailed.
"I was explaining something to him and I pivoted on my foot to discard an item I had picked up. I remember the whole thing, it was like slow motion. There was complete silence except a ringing, like in the movies," Sergeant Ramakka said.
Sergeant Ramakka said he was standing on a slightly-graded footpath. Although the footpaths had probably been cleared of mines, the mine probably shifted from its original location due to rain and weather and then the dirt hardened over it.
"The soil gets like concrete over there," he said. "When I pivoted, I put a lot of weight on my foot and that probably caused the detonation. My first thought was that the major stepped on a mine or IED. I thought he killed me. To be honest, I couldn't believe it was me who stepped on it."
Sergeant Ramakka said he spent the next several seconds, though it seemed like minutes, assessing himself and his surroundings.
"My hands hurt really badly and the major was on the ground yelling. It looked like he was bleeding a lot. It wasn't until later I realized a lot of that was my blood," he recalled. "I thought he was about to die."
The bomb expert's training kicked in and he began to assess his injuries.
"I did a lot of processing before I even hit the ground. I saw the major had a very serious wound to his leg. I checked out my hands and they seemed alright. I was wearing flight gloves and they seemed to be in pristine condition. When I flipped them over to look at the back of my hands, that's when I hit the ground. "
Once he hit the ground, he was able to get a better look at his hands and he realized he had lost the tips of a couple fingers.
"The whole time it was weird, I was kind of OK with it. Don't get me wrong, I got blown up and it sucked, but I never really freaked out over it," Sergeant Ramakka said. "I thought, 'Well, I got other fingers, I'll be all right.' I never realized it until then, but I guess I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy."
It didn't take long he said before he realized something wasn't quite right with his left leg. The explosion sheared off the bulk of his lower leg and left nothing but the back of his heel and a diagonal section of his calf.
He suffered serious shrapnel wounds in his right leg and a lot of damage to his hands, but he said aside from getting really angry when he realized he lost his leg, he kept his presence of mind.
"That's when I got angry and started punching the ground and using some expletives, but then my training kicked in again and I started pulling myself together," Sergeant Ramakka said. "I was trying to get my belt off to use as a tourniquet when the first help arrived."
Sergeant Ramakka's journey from Afghanistan transported him not only into a new unit, but into an entirely new life as well. He was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany where surgeons performed the first operation to remove the damaged remnants of his lower left leg. He then officially became an amputee.
Two days later he went to Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where he was eventually transferred into a patient squadron from Wilford Hall's 59th Medical Wing. His mind; however, was set on getting back to work at the EOD Preliminary Course taught just blocks away on the same base.
The trials that accompanied learning to walk on prosthetics and surviving with the help of pain medications while trying to get back to normalcy took their toll sometimes.
The optimism didn't always win out, Sergeant Ramakka admitted. "I've definitely had my bad days, but I like to think overall I've done all right. I never really felt too traumatized. I just wanted to be allowed to do my job like I did before I became 'special.'"
Sergeant Ramakka said he fought a long battle to recover, but he was never alone.
"My family paid the price, too," he said. When not deployed, he is the EOD Preliminary Course chief at Lackland AFB. "They've walked the path with me and made it possible for me to be where I am."
The Richland, Wash., native said he relies on Sonja and his daughters Mackenzie, 12, and Daphne, 2, to keep him grounded and provide a place where he's simply known as Chris or daddy.
"I could never have done this without the support of my wife and kids. They help me remember I'm not any more special than I was before I blew up," Sergeant Ramakka said.
Staff Sgt. Clayton Allen of the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron said he has never met Sergeant Ramakka, but he has a different perspective on whether or not the amputee is special.
"Whenever I see that guy running, I think, 'Man, I gotta keep going and push through. If he can find the strength and the fortitude to get out here and run after everything he's been through, so can I.' He's an inspiration," Sergeant Allen said.
The holiday season often inspires people to take personal stock and consider what it is they really want. Sergeant Ramakka only wanted to get back to work. He said he wants to do his job without getting a pat on the back for accomplishing mundane tasks.
The man who sacrificed a leg and nearly three years of his life fighting his way back is now sacrificing time with his family as they open gifts without him this year. He will spend a total of six months on this deployment.
"I'm not special. I'm doing OK. I can tell people want to ask me questions, but they generally hold back or wait until I'm alone," he said.
People on base have said they are inspired by him without ever speaking to him. He is no longer "just a guy," he now represents an ideal that it's possible to make it back from the darkest places.
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