Deployed MSU student Lance Cpl. Aaron Rice was injured during a routine patrol in Iraq March 17. Rice, a political science major and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, has been serving with the Marine Reserve since early this year. In addition to several lesser injuries, he suffered a severe leg injury.
Rice was driving a Humvee on a patrol with his unit when he drove over a road mine. The mine exploded and injured him, but his unit carried him to a nearby building. They treated him there before he was airlifted to Germany, SAE treasurer Adam Griffin said.
A medivac airlifted him from Germany to Bethesda, Md., where he received treatment for eye and left ankle injuries. However, his right leg had to be amputated six inches below the knee, Dean of Students Mike White said.
Rice withdrew from the university in November when he found out he was being deployed to Iraq. He left in January for Iraq, where he was to serve in a rear transportation company, but Rice wanted a more active involvement in the war.
He joined the Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine regiment and patrolled regularly in Iraq before the accident, White said.
Rice arrived in Bethesda March 20. He was transferred to Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., when he became stable, White said.
“At this point, he is well aware of his surroundings and understands the extent of his injuries,” White said. “He’ll be there several months.”
At Walter Reed, Rice is working on rehabilitation and receiving prosthesis treatment. Updates on his condition are available at www.wachdorf.com/haley-blog/, and Rice has even made his own posts on the blog, White said.
“His postings are humorous and also very moving,” White said.
Rice married the former Kelly Maxwell in December before he was deployed to Iraq. His wife and parents are with him in Washington, Griffin said.
He received his training before he came to MSU, and he pledged SAE this fall. He was initiated before being deployed, Griffin said.
The fraternity had trouble receiving information, and for the first few days, most of the information was outdated by the time it reached them; they didn’t even find out he had been injured until he arrived in Maryland, Griffin said.
The university is proud of those serving in Iraq, but it also wants every student to be safe, White said.
“This is the second injury we’ve had,” White said, referring to T.C. Rollins who was injured in February and is still being treated in Maryland.
The blog postings show that Rice is doing well, and he keeps high spirits, Griffin said. Rice said he owes much of his current status to his unit because it performed the way it was trained.
“The wounds I did receive from the blast were kept to minimal impact on my body thanks to the Marines and corpsmen taking care of me after the explosion,” Rice said in one of his blog postings.
Rice added that he could have received more injuries and is just thankful for being alive. He hopes to return home soon and looks forward to returning to MSU when he does.