By Kellie Speed
When Patrick Wickens initially made the decision to join the U.S. Army, he was looking for something better for his life.
“I was working 18-hour days for $10 an hour, so I joined the Army,” said the Montana native.
In 2003, the U.S. Army Sergeant deployed to Iraq with the 4-27 Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.
“We did a year and then it got extended for a few more months,” Wickens said. “We took a lot of small arms and rockets every day. We didn’t have the feeling if something was going to happen, but more like when it would. We basically got ambushed. We lost a lot of dudes out there.”
On May 14, 2004, Wickens was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the ambush. He lost his right leg above the knee, sustained wounds and burns to his left leg, and severed both of his femoral arteries. His fast-acting teammates provided life-saving treatment, applying tourniquets and delivering medical care before he was transported to a nearby hospital.
“There’s a good month that I don’t remember,” the Purple Heart recipient noted. “I spent four days in Baghdad Hospital before being sent to Germany and then Walter Reed.”
While at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Wickens underwent skin grafts and endured several surgeries that included amputating his right leg at the hip due to repeated infections.
After retiring from the military in 2006, Wickens said he was looking to live somewhere warm.
“I met my wife in Florida, and we have two kids and a beautiful home,” he said. “I have a pretty good life right now. If I hadn’t been injured, I probably would have gone back to Montana and worked with my dad on the farm.”
Despite his injury, Wickens, who enjoys cycling and playing golf, refuses to let his disability slow him down.
“I have even gone scuba diving, but it’s an expensive hobby,” he joked. “I love being outside kayaking or fishing. Florida is an amazing place to live.”
A few years ago, Wickens received a specially-adapted home from Homes for Our Troops.
“I have a buddy, Bobby Withers, who was having a community kickoff event and he told me to submit an application to Homes for Our Troops,” he said. “I was hesitant at first, but they called me pretty quickly after. We live in a beautiful community that is really quiet.”
Prior to receiving the adaptive home, Wickens faced the dangerous daily challenge of having to hop in and out of the shower, posing a constant worry for his wife.
“I use crutches or a wheelchair, and don’t really use my prosthetic leg ever,” he noted. “The house we have now has wider doors for my wheelchair and the bathroom is accessible. Falling in the bathroom was always my biggest fear because it can be really dangerous,” Wickens continued, “but [this] has taken the weight off my shoulders. Fortunately, nothing ever happened in our old house where there was a narrow door. It was really an accident waiting to happen. Homes for Our Troops put us in a great community so we can do what we need to do. It’s perfect.”
In his spare time, Wickens volunteers for Fairways for Warriors, a nonprofit dedicated to providing golf clinics, tournaments and events for other wounded combat veterans.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to give back,” he says.
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