Prayers and cards are requested for Sgt. Kevin Downs, who was injured in Iraq.
On 14 August 2005, near the city of Tuz in northeastern Iraq, the Humvee that Sgt. James K. (Kevin) Downs and three others were traveling in was struck by four explosive devices. The four men were members of a National Guard unit, the 278th Regimental Combat Team, a Knoxville-based unit of 3,200 soldiers deployed to Iraq in late 2004. The three other National Guardsmen in the Humvee were killed in the attack. They were 22-year- old Sgt. Gary Lee Reese of Ashland City, 35-year-old Staff Sgt. Asbury F. Hawn Jr. of Lebanon, and 30-year-old Sgt. Shannon D. Taylor ofSmithville.Sgt. Downs was blown into the air by the blast, and his resultant injuries included two broken legs, a broken arm and pelvis, and second- and third-degree burns over 60% of his body, including burns to his eyes, throat and lungs. He was first evacuated to a hospital in Germany, then transferred to a burn unit at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas, where he is now recuperating at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston.Kevin's recovery has been slow and awful, an endless sequence of pain, suffering, surgeries, and setbacks. In the face of it, it is hard for him not to give in to depression. Those wishing more detail about his battle to get well are encouraged to read the log entries on the Kevin Downs page maintained on the web site of the South Cheatham Advocate, a newspaper in Tennessee.An October 2005 letter written by LTC Miles Smith and added to by Mike Goodrich provides additional information about the attack that injured Sgt. Downs and took the lives of the three Guardsmen, and it explains more about his condition at that time.The Fort Sam Houston address given in the e-mail is becoming overwhelmed. Mail to Sgt. Downs should now be sent to:Sgt. Kevin Downs P. O. Box 118 Kingston Springs, TN 37082A fund has set up in Kevin Downs' name to accomodate those looking to make a monetary donation:Community Bank and Trust P. O. Box 340 Kingston Springs, TN 37082
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