A Mississippi State student serving in Iraq remains hospitalized at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland after he was injured last week in a car accident near Baghdad.
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas “T.C.” Rollins is a junior banking and finance major from Columbus and a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
Rollins was on a routine convoy mission near Baghdad, serving as a gunner on a Hummer. He suffered injuries when he was thrown from the vehicle Feb. 10 and it rolled over on him, Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Kibler said.
Rollins’s pelvis and his left femur were both fractured, and an artery and vein in his leg were severed.
He was transported to a nearby fort where a surgeon reconnected the vein and artery. Rollins underwent another surgery before being transported to Germany where he was operated on again.
Rollins arrived at the Bethesda Naval Hospital Feb. 13, and is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit there, his girlfriend Jocelyn Gong said.
Rollins was due for surgery on his pelvis Friday, but his friends and family are still waiting on an update.
The doctor said he may not have a 100 percent recovery of his left leg, but it should be a 98 to 99 percent recovery, Gong said.
Dean of Students Mike White said Rollins’s Marine unit was activated in May 2004 to serve in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Gong, a senior biological sciences major, said Rollins was called up in May, but he did not leave for Iraq until August. Rollins did not know the exact details of what he would be doing before he left.
Gong said she was shocked when she received the initial call from Rollins’s mother, who went to Bethesda to be with her son.
“I couldn’t believe this happened,” Gong said.
Gong spoke to Rollins about once a week and had spoken to him only three days before his accident.
She said Rollins was homesick, but felt he had a job to do, and he was going to get it done before he came home.
The accident occurred only five days before his last convoy mission; he would have returned to the United States on March 3, she added.
Gong has been communicating with Rollins’s mother over the phone, receiving updates on his condition, she said.
The university is also keeping updated on Rollins’s condition through his mother’s workplace, White said.
About 130 MSU students have been activated in support of Iraqi Freedom, but Rollins is the first student to receive such a serious injury.
Several students have even returned to the university, but it has been difficult for officials to stay updated on those who have not returned whether or not they are still serving, White said.
White, a Vietnam War veteran, said he can empathize with these students, and he is proud to have the university represented in support of the nation’s efforts in Iraq.
“For me personally, I am grateful for those who have volunteered to preserve our freedom and protect our way of life,” White said.
The university sent a basket, which included MSU-related items to remind Rollins of the college and those here who care about him, White said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with T.C. for a full recovery,” Kibler added.