Darren was deployed to Iraq with the active Army. He was a Bradley Personnel Carrier driver.

Monday, 10-17-2005, his Bradley hit an IED. This is a quoted email from his Commanding Officer:

"Darren was driving a Bradley Fighting Vehicle when it hit an IED, the explosion caused the Bradley to catch fire. Darren, who was already severely burned, was able to regain control of the Bradley and get it to a safe stop. This in its self was a great feat and he should be commended for it. He was able to get out of the vehicle with help from another soldier and he helped with the evacuation of the soldiers who were in the back of the Bradley. His efforts helped to safe the lives of each and everyone of those soldiers."

An added note to this from the Rear Detachment of his company is that 'getting it to a safe stop' includes driving it out of the 'kill zone' which could mean driving as far as 300 yards from the initial point of contact. A Bradley can carry up 16 people in it, although we do not know how many people were in the vehicle at the time.

There were 6 soldiers (Darren + 5) that were flown to Landstuhl, Germany from this incident. 2 other soldiers were transferred to Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC) through Kuwait, though their injuries, requiring recovery, were not as extensive as the other 6. There may have been other in the field that were injured as well. Lanstuhl, Germany has a medical center that its primary purpose is to stabalize the soldiers for further transfer.

He had 3rd degree burns to 30% of his body. The burns consisted of his whole face, both arms, and both hands. Except for his face, the burns were 'full thickness' as described by a doctor. There may have been other, less significant burns, but I've was told of the most critical. There was potential that he wouldn't need skin grafts for his face, but was just speculation by the lead doctor of the ICU at Landstuhl, Germany.

He had inhaled both smoke and flame. He was on a ventilator and feeding tube. They removed a lot of mucous and 'crud' from his lungs. The internal burns to his lungs were not life threatening at that time, though of great concern. His abdomen had been opened to allow for swelling without hampering his breathing. This swelling was due to the fluids they were pumping him with during flight. Instead of dispersing to his limbs, it pooled in his abdomen. He had no other internal injuries, according to an exploratory.

Darren had brain swelling. All CT scans had been negative. He had been awake enough to answer questions with a shake of his head.

As of 10-27-2005, Thursday, Darren had been through 3 surgeries. They removed the burned skin and performed skin graphs, of which 80% have 'taken' or adhered to the skin. They have also put velcro on his abdomen to continue to diminish the swelling.

The Army flew his wife, Nakia, and his mother, my wife, JoDee, to San Antonio, TX to be with him during this ordeal. Since I am his step-father, I was not offered an ITO (Invitational Transfer Order) by the military. Also, it was not financially feesible for me to go. JoDee was gone from work for an extended amount of time, so I needed to keep money flowing in from somewhere.

Darren's father and step-mother, Steve and Beau Howe, and his brother and wife, Brandon and Jennifer Howe, had driven to see him as well. He was aware that his brother, Brandon, had to leave to return to his unit with the Army Reserve. Brandon was going to be deployed soon. Darren was upset that he could not talk to his brother and impart his experience to him.

On November 3rd, I was flown down to San Antonio to be with my wife and see Darren. That evening, Darren pasted away due to metabolic acidosis brought on by a bacterial infection to his lungs. His kidneys shut down, CO2 was building up in his bloodstream, and, ultimately, his PH level went out of range and he was considered brain dead.

Darren's funeral was on November 11th, 2005; Memorial Day. An excellent story about his funeral can be found on the web site of the Patriot Guard who showed up to protect my family from picketers that arrived in town. Here is a link to the article.

Thank you to everyone who supported us and prayed for our family.

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