DARTMOUTH — U.S. Army veteran Brian Fountaine, who lost both of his legs to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while serving in Iraq, recently visited the fifth graders at Joseph DeMello School, where the youngsters are studying "adaptations" in science.
DARTMOUTH — U.S. Army veteran Brian Fountaine, who lost both of his legs to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while serving in Iraq, recently visited the fifth graders at Joseph DeMello School, where the youngsters are studying "adaptations" in science.
The focus of Mr. Fountaine's presentation were the specialized prosthetic legs that he uses to get around in his daily life, and the help he gets from his service dog, Dango.
"When you have a severe disability, you can either laugh about it or cry about it. I choose to laugh about it," the vet remarked.
With Dango, a black retriever, lying patiently by his side, Mr. Fountaine explained to students that he joined the Army in April 2001, right out of high school. While stationed in Iraq, he was blown out of a truck by an IED, a homemade roadside bomb.
He was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for two years of rehabilitation work before he was discharged from the Army.
This day, Fountaine showed the students how he uses his different sets of prosthetic legs to do things like roller blading, going sky diving, and pursue a passion for rock climbing.
"There is no limit to what you can to do to move beyond a disability," Mr. Fountaine suggested to the audience. For example, he is a better swimmer now and is working on his beginner scuba diver's certification, he said.
Strangely enough, his height has also changed. " I was five feet, 10 inches tall. I could ask to be another height, so now I am six feet tall," he explained.
Fountaine said he and Dango don't appear before groups on a regular basis, but he came as a special guest at the request of a friend, one of the student teachers.
He described how Dango fetches items from the refrigerator and other items that are hard for him to pick up, and can also turn the lights on and off.
"I may lose my balance, and he helps out when I am in public. He is my good friend, and is now on a gentle leader, not a muzzle," Mr. Fountaine said.
Fountaine also demonstrated proper etiquettes for approaching service dogs. If a dog is wearing a red vest, it has already graduated service school; if wearing an orange vest, it is a sight dog.
"You shouldn't go up and pet the dog just be polite, you don't want to interrupt the dog if he is helping his owner," Mr. Fountaine explained.
During the question and answer period, fifth grader Falin Fagundes asked if it was hard to roller blade. "It is hard to balance; when I ice skate I use a hockey stick for balance," the veteran answered.
Another student asked Mr. Fountaine what made him go into the Aarmy. "I had a lot of uncles that were in the service, and I wanted to serve my country. I joined right after "9/11" and I wanted to do the right thing," he answered.
Quite a few hands went up to ask questions such as was it scary while stationed in Iraq? "You never knew what was going to happen. You have to work the fear in a positive way and pay attention," he remarked.
His family sent him children's clothes and flip flops, and he gave them to the Iraq children. "It is very very hot there, and some people live their lives without shoes," he added.
The students asked intelligent questions and were curious about the Iraqi people. In describing some of the cultural differences, Fountaine explained that when children are in school, boys and girls and segregated; at home, the women do most of the work. "A lot of the people helped us out; not all Iraqis hate Americans," Mr. Fountaine said of his overseas experience. "We helped the country get back on track," he said simply.
At 28 years old, he is a very modest man, with an uncomplaining attitude on his disability and a positive outlook on his life. His attitude was inspiring, students and staff agreed.