Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen, 36, Bravo Company, 48th Brigade Combat Team of the Georgia Army National Guard, out of Newnan, Ga., was in a valley of evil south of Kabul in Afghanistan on July 8.
Sgt. 1st Class Mark Allen, 36, Bravo Company, 48th Brigade Combat Team of the Georgia Army National Guard, out of Newnan, Ga., was in a valley of evil south of Kabul in Afghanistan on July 8.
Engaged in a furious firefight with the enemy, his M4 Carbine was his rod; his staff was the group of troops he trained and led.
He never sensed the sniper's bullet, which split the air, pierced his armored helmet and penetrated his brain.
Now he lies in the polytrauma unit of the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Tampa, unable to speak or move. He appears unresponsive to sound, and doctors are not sure if he can see. A massive stroke following the gunshot robbed him of his motor functions.
Allen is a former Ocalan, and many of his family members here are facing hardships in their quest to be at his bedside.
For Allen and others who are gravely injured, wheelchairs, lifts and hoists, rotating beds to prevent bedsores, braces, metal limbs and protective helmets are now a central part of their lives.
The Taliban, al-Qaida, the terrorists and the criminals have rifles. And IEDs. And brain-splicing bullets.
The wounded warrior's father, the Rev. David Allen, is pastor of the New Vision Worship Center in Fort McCoy.
"All I ask of God is to let me have my son back," he said. "My prayer that he live has been answered and if this is the final answer, we are prepared to accept God's will. We are praying for Mark's recovery, but we will take him however God leaves him for us."
It was announced on Sunday at the worship center that the pastor has been allowed to take a six-month leave of absence. He needs to be with his son.
"I am in total awe of the doctors, nurses and staff we have met. They have treated us with compassion, and Mark with the utmost competency," David Allen said.
"The Soldiers' Angels Fund in Newnan, Ga., paid for my room. The taxpayers pay for his care. Many, many people have offered prayers and support.
"I have every confidence that everything is being done for Mark that can be done. Doctors from Kabul (Afghanistan), Landstuhl (Germany), Bethesda (Naval Medical Center in Maryland) and here in Tampa are taking superb care of our wounded. You can believe that, as I have seen it."
Allen's two brothers in Ocala desperately want to visit him.
Also at issue is the care of the Rev. Allen's elderly father while he visits his son.
Family members could use some help: gift cards for gas, lodging and food. The military provides lodging for Allen's wife, Shannon.
Shannon and Mark's fourth wedding anniversary is Wednesday. In her season of patience and prayer and endurance, she will celebrate it in her own way.
Her husband is present and accounted for, but his brain, emotions and memories are involuntarily AWOL.
Perhaps she will share the event with Journey, their 15-month old daughter, who is with her mother in Tampa when not in day care in Ocala.
"I am living in the now. We know exactly where we are in our love and our commitments. My husband is GI Joe in a National Guard uniform," said Shannon.
"In our last conversation on July 4th, he said they were shipping him out to an FOB (Forward Operations Base), but he could not reveal the location. He was focused on protecting his men and getting everyone safely home," she said.
"People here in Walton County have been so kind and generous that words fail me. They have held fundraisers for us, offered emotional support and prayers. If I have one regret, it is that we can't afford to get his brothers and my family down to see Mark as often as we all want and Mark needs. The Army has done everything beyond my dreams in a timely manner. I am so grateful to everyone and to God," Shannon said.
Sgt. Allen also has a 12-year old son in Illinois. His time to taste manhood has been thrust upon him far too early and Cody wants to visit his father, but money is tight.
The Rev. Allen cites Romans 8:28 as the verse the family clings to as they hold each other: "And we know that all things work together for them that love God."
Sgt. Allen was on his second combat tour, having previously served in Iraq.
According to the Associated Press, as of Sunday, 764 troops have been killed in action in Afghanistan.