Luke Schmitz Survived Iraq

Hmm, you've probably noticed I havent updated in a few days. I've had some computer problems...meaning, I havent used it. :) Not much going on down here in the big state. Luke is enjoying a nap right now between PT sessions and I'm pretending to watch MTV and surfing the net. Luke had his blood checked this morning and it hit 12.7, another beautiful number. Tomorrow he gets his pin taken out of his thumb..which is nice because its really prone to get stuck on things and sometimes turn...oof.
I've been watching some PT sessions and am just amazed at what these guys can do. Yes, all guys, I think I've seen only one female with an amputee. One day looking around I pondered how the Navy guys had amputations...so confused, what happens in the ocean when the war is in the Desert, but wait..catch this! When the planes land on the big carriers, they catch a cable to stop before the end of the runway. Well, I guess sometimes that cable breaks and whips out at about leg level. I'm sure you can figure the rest, ouch!
The guys in the PT room seem to enjoy themselves. Oh sure the work outs are hard...but joking around can sometimes take over. I was watching two double leg amputees doing some ab work and teaching another to get into his chair from the ground. Very supportive of each other and giving hints, but also like to burn one another. While on their back and their stumps in the air with arms waving doing some ab work, one says the other "you look like a turtle on its back!" the other turns and says "coming from you...you should be talking." Or both discussing going into the pool. One wears the aqua belt, and just bobs there. he said he wanted a bell on top of his head just like a bouy. ok so I didnt write that very well. but hey, oh well.
Each night I chill doing some reading, ok so not, but watching movies or doing word finds as Luke plays his World of Warcraft. Not kidding, I could leave the room for about 2 hours with out him noticing...kinda funny. I'll walk back in the room and he'll give me the sad "where were you?" oh boys and their games. but it keeps him entertained which is super nice. my time on the internet is during the day and his during the evening so he can level up and play with others. i dont really understand it, but heck, I dont have to. I did buy a puzzle to work on, ohyeh, puzzle! Flashbacks are happening to my parents as they read this, taking up the main entry to our old house with my puzzles. Anyway, I did attempt this puzzle..but man, this has me beat! Its called a Photomosiac--meaning its tiny little pictures that make up a big picture..UFDAH! Plus the table I put it on was a little too small, so back into the box it went, maybe another time...ha.
But I have lost my concentration here, Pimp my Ride on MTV has just finished an El Camino.

Well I finally made it back down to my second home for the year. Travels went so long on Thursday with a 4 hour delay in Salt Lake City. Pretty town, not going to lie, I was amused just looking at the mountains. Something happened to our plane I guess and we couldn't use it, so we had to wait for another flight to arrive unload, load again and then we could take off. I didn't mind too much, people were entertaining to watch, I had "Walk the Line" playing on my computer and I'd rather wait for a nice plane than go down with a bad one....Just maybe. :)
I arrived here about 1 am on Friday morning and pretty much went straight to bed..sooo tired. Friday while Luke enjoyed a little PT I got settled here and decided I should take the treadmill for a run/walk, more of walking of course. It just looked so lonely in that fitness room, I thought it needed a little attention. Anyway, after that some homework, we headed over to "O-Day" or Organization Day; a big picnic with BBQ, dunking tanks for the General and other officers, live music..kinda, animals to pet, and of course organizations to learn about. Not exactly a perfect day for Minnesotans though, 96 degrees and little wind made it a little hot, and poor Luke had just finished PT. After eating Luke and I enjoyed sitting around most of the time, but yes, we did go and pet some super cute puppies that had Luke wanting the little runt. The also had some pigs and some chickens...but nothing really I would want to touch. We didn't do too much else, inflatable playthings were kinda out of the question for now, so just chillin out was our main focus.
The rest of the weekend has gone well, we went to the movies last night to watch FLY BOYS. oh yeh, I definitely recommend that one! Of course the only storm I get to see in Texas happens during the movie, which caused for some unplanned dramatic pauses and some silent areas of the movie. But no fear, random people in the audience provided words for us, not to difficult being a part of the movie of fighting in planes...which is a majority of it. So words like gun fire, oh no, I got em, and wahoo joined the movie on the big screen. Entertaining at best. If we really wanted we could have stood in line to get a rain check or another free movie, but eh, we wanted to finish the movie so we just chilled out and waited. But now I do beleive it can rain in Texas, and its even different colors now, green has finally been added to the palate of browns in San Antonio.
Tomorrow starts another week, Nancy headed home today at 8am. And I will be watching PT for some observation hours this week. I'm super excited about that, not only will I be able to peek at Luke walking, but I'll see so many different things instead of just sitting doing homework in the room. Which yes, Mom and Dad, I am keeping up with..imagine..I'm actually ahead of schedule :).
Well Mr. Lazy has finally awoken and is asking for my presence so I must retired from the computer. Hope everyone enjoys the Pizza Ranch fundraiser, which I just found out about, tomorrow evening in Perham.
Take Care.

Talking with Luke last night, we are both excited for today and the days to come. Of course excited because I finally get to go back down, but most importantly, a new leg. What an accomplishment after so much disheartening news a while back with the blood. Although the reason for the blood loss is not confirmed, he is doing well and is able to get out and enjoy life once again. I'm super pumped to get on that plane and be able to celebrate something so important in his life.
Once I am down there, Luke has okayed it with Major Campbell that I can observe in the PT room, not exactly just looking at Luke. Actually, I told Luke while I'm in there, we cant have any communication. I'm looking forward to being able to witness the progress of those men and apply it to my future. Maybe I'll write on here what I see...who knows. :)
Things in Bemidji are picking up. I have my first test on Thursday, a make up test for the week I will be gone, a job interview tomorrow I'm nervous about and work picking up a little also. There was an awards banquet last night honoring those who received scholarships this year, I wasnt able to make it because I was gone during the RSVP and chose to work. Anyway, they told my story last night at the banquet and I guess there was applause. Kinda neat, but a little embarrassing. But I'm off to eat my Tombstone pizza (yes, typical college food, although its veggie) then off to the VB game...GO BEAVERS!

This girl is super happy and soon you will be too after reading this post!
Luke's blood level went up to 9.6, meaning he produced a PINT of blood without it getting eaten! YAHOO! And today..PT. Such a good day for him. Congrats Luke!

Also. I got nervous writing my little story, maybe I'll get the guts to actually post it again sometime :)

ok turned out funny, but here is a pic of the helmets from John George.

Megan supporting her big brother..awesome shirt!
"Schmitz 65 STILL ALIVE!"

I dont really have an update this morning. My converstation with Luke last night consisted of waking him up, oopsy, and telling him goodnight. He sounds good, last I heard his blood count was up a couple tenths. Thats all I have folks, maybe more later today or tomorrow.

A loss of words today.
Today the emotional part of me has arrived. Honoring the life of Sgt. Joshua Hanson with the hundreds of other mourners in Pelican today was more difficult than what I had prepared myself for. Families who watched their son in their review mirror as they drove away from Camp Shelby in March, or those who watched them board the plane in Fargo last October, and those all around the United States all share this fear. I especially broke down with the actual visual realization of the alternative ending in Luke's incident. The military really brings people together; I have gained so much family in the last year. Not only do those soldiers have bonds together, but families, girlfriends and friends back home get to know the 'battle buddies' like kin and the other families more than just a support group.
The auditorium was filled with present and past military, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other office holders, friends and of course the family of Josh. The ceremony itself was nicely done and emotional for even the people who didnt know him personally. I saw the most tears during his brother's song Amazing Grace, the presentation of medals and the recessional.
I really am not able to express all the feelings that are here today. I've had many people come up to me in the last 2 days saying they read my notes on Luke and enjoy getting the updates. People I've never met and those I've known for years alike, even those who just recognized me from my photos on here.
I am stopping here tonight. I talked to Luke, but I will write that tomorrow. He is well and his blood count went up again.
God Bless everyone and Rest in Peace with the Lord Joshua Hanson.

Oppsy, I'm behind! Sorry about that. I'm back in Bemidji now trying to get organized for the school year and catching up on assignments already. UGHH! hehe. Well here is what you came for, LUKEs progress.
Luke is still fighting anemia, bummer! He is getting his blood checked everyother day. It sounds like something is attacking his red blood cells which could be involving his spleen. He had an appointment this morning with the Hemotologist, right now actually. of course i'm sitting here wanting to know whats going on. His blood was a little down yesterday, by like 0.3 points. but enough that they want to know what they are going to do. I'll know more by tonight hopefully. But worse case- lukes spleen will come out, I guess you really dont need that too much after your done with childhood diseases! His spirits are still up for the most part. bummed he cant go to PT yet, his deconditioning could set him back in getting a leg. I see the nice picture in the paper has come off my site..haha. funny. I also ran into a classmate last night who saw my picture with luke in the FF paper...oh geez. Tonight I'm heading back to Perham for the football game, thought I would go and witness the numbers on the helmets..maybe take a pic for Luke.

But the main reason I'm going home is for the funeral of Sgt. Hanson on Saturday afternoon. This is be an emotional event for many, for we all fear this ending in any soldier we know. Josh Hanson was a great guy and Luke has many stories of chatting with him in the towers and in the truck. I remember tellng Luke to 'stay safe' and he always hated to hear it, but now I hear him tell his guys the same thing. It's not like they can help anything that comes their way, but now I'm sure its in the back of their minds. Those guys are family over there, and the families back here have a bond as well. The soldiers really do love eachother and have fun, losing a soldier is losing a brother. God Bless Josh and his family.

here is the story of the Oak Ridge Boys.
So my uncle happens to be friends with the Oaks and their Manager Rich. When he told them Lukes story, and being very patriotic themselves, they wanted to have the shirts and support him and what he went through. This picture is taken on their Tour Bus before their concert at the MN State Fair.



Tomorrow I head out. Again I'll still write, but I may not know too much..hehe.

So here I am 'resting' in the hotel room watching if the Mythbusters can build their own jet pack and thinking..hmmm maybe I should update the site.

After Luke was released from the hospital on Friday, we chilled for the evening and had Applebees to go while watching mindless stuff on TV. Saturday morning he went in the clinic in the morning to get his blood checked and it was stable from Friday. So then he came back and slept....and slept and slept...while I worked out, showered, checked my email, changed my plane ticket, changed my school schedule and so on...yes I was quite bored. Going pretty nuts sitting in this room with no where really to go. So eventually all of us crammed in the Escape and went to the shopping mall..Maybe not such a good idea. Labor day weekend..and a wheelchair, just paired for stress. Luke and I went out and found him a few clothing items, but not without difficulty getting around in the stores and hallways, not to mention only like 2 bathrooms in the whole mall...very stupidly designed. but anyway, we had dinner at Rudys and came back to relax for the rest of the night.
Again this morning Luke went to the clinic for a blood test and while they waited for the results they had breakfast and church. The results came back and Luke had lost blood. GRRRR. He was admitted to the ER until they could find him a room and give him 2 units of blood. They still dont know why he is losing blood, but their guess is that he just isnt making RBC's fast enough. So right now he should be on his 2nd bag and will be hopefully released tonight. They said they will do this checking and refills as an outpatient instead of keeping him in the hospital for too long.
There is the news, hope everyone is enjoying the Auction and Dinner in Frazee.

Sad News. Sgt. Joshua Hanson was the soldier in Lukes unit that was killed on Wednesday. He was with Luke during his whole incident and stood by him the whole way until he left to another hospital. A great guy, soldier and friend for many and will be missed greatly.

It sounds like Luke will be discharged again today..wahoo. His blood count is still a little low but they are not concerned with that. After the 2 units of blood Luke looked so much better and was even teasing me last night. Hematology came by and said that the bone marrow biopsy came back good, no signs of any abnomalities including cancer and red blood cells not being made. Meaning that for a time it is possible that his red blood cells where not being produced. His blood levels will be checked every 3 days to make sure this does not happen again. The outlook is once again good. Tim is also doing well ...those boys sure keep the girls busy down here though!
More sad news to deal with- Able Company is mourning the loss of a soldier who was killed Wednesday. I do not have the name because of privacy, and 6 others were injured. The injuries ranged from minor hearing loss to burns. All have been rejoined with their company and have called home to say they are ok. Please keep these families in your prayers also. We plan on telling Luke when we have more information and the name I heard is confirmed.