A Marine 'waiting around for chow': the Final Chapter

(Crossposted at DKos)

On May 17, I posted a diary at Daily Kos called A Marine `waiting around for chow'.  It was Matt's story.  Matt is my cousin's son, and unfortunately his story is not unlike many others that I have heard since this whole thing began.  Since then I have posted a few updates (part duex, part trios) and a call for help.  On this blog there have been almost daily updates, as it has been one thing after another with this fiasco.  However, it is not imperative that you read each post to gain something from this one.  I only link them here, so that you may be as informed as you'd like.  

So now the final chapter:  A Marine Coming Home?

A brief overview for those that have missed the story:  Matt was injured last August in Afghanistan.  Shot twice in the leg.  He was ordered back to Hawaii on November 11 (yes, Veteran's Day) still in a wheelchair.  Since he's been there, he has gotten very little medical attention and when able, was even forced to purchase his own bicycle to get him to and from therapy.  He hasn't been getting his mail, and has been fairly isolated.  On a positive note, since my first diary, he purchased a laptop and has been able to communicate via email and instant messaging.  He calls our house, drunk, and tells us about the horrors of war.  PTSD is most certainly present.  They have him doing absolutely nothing.  All he does is `wait around for chow'. No one disputes the fact that he needs a medical discharge, it just isn't happening.  My most recent call for help was asking people to write their congress critters.  The current hold up has been waiting for a paper to get signed, releasing him of liability regarding his missing gear, so that he can finally come home.  Kossacks and non-Kossacks alike responded in droves.

This evening (afternoon for him) I saw Matt get online.  I instant messaged him and asked if he'd gotten his plane tickets.  Honestly, it was a question asked in jest.  Matt and I frequently begin our conversations in that manner.  It keeps the mood light, despite all the chaos.   His response was simply "Thursday".  Excited, I thought he meant that he would be receiving his tickets, or at least know more on Thursday.  But as our conversation progressed I realized that he will be coming home on Thursday, July 6, 2006.

It worked, my friends.  We got him home.

Thank you for all the phone calls made and emails sent.  Thank you for all the advice and support all along the way.  Our family appreciates you all.  No matter what anyone says about Kos, Daily Kos, or blogs in general, this place is truly a community.