Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Local soldier shot in IraqBy JOHN MUNFORD A local soldier was seriously injured in Iraq when he was shot in the neck this weekend, but his family has not been provided details about the incident. Sgt. Ryan Coffield of Fayetteville, a 2002 graduate of Fayette County High School, is recovering in a military hospital in Germany, his sister, Amanda Coffield, said Tuesday afternoon. Sgt. Coffield was shot in the back of his neck, and his spinal cord was injured; he could not move his left arm and doctors are hopeful that will improve as swelling from the injury recedes, Amanda Coffield said. It is possible he will never regain use of his left arm, she added. None of the people who were with Sgt. Coffield at the time were injured, the Coffield family was told by military officials. Amanda Coffield said they may end up getting the details directly from her brother. Sgt. Coffield was based at FOB MacKenzie in an unknown section of Iraq, because the bases location was classified, his sister said. He was stationed in Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Sgt. Coffield and his wife Sandra are expecting their first child, a boy, in December. Sgt. Coffields mother, Deb, lives here in Fayetteville as does Sandra. To help him recover from his injuries, doctors plan to install a halo device that will help keep his head immobile, Amanda Coffield said. His father, Rod Coffield, who lives in Texas, had a similar treatment years ago and is aware what his son is about to go through, she said. Deb and Rod Coffield were visiting their son in Germany before he will be flown to Walter Reed Medical Center where his wife expects to greet him. It is expected Coffield will stay at Walter Reed for an extended period of time because he will be in the halo brace for a couple of months, his sister said. A sniper specialist, Sgt. Coffield teamed with Christopher Kitto to take eighth place in the world during a recent international sniper competition, Amanda Coffield said. Sgt. Coffield enlisted in the Army during his senior year, and started basic training three days after graduation. He received his basic and airborne training at Fort Benning and received air assault training in South Korea while spending a year at Camp Casey on a volunteer assignment. He was just promoted to sergeant in August. |
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