The Glade 4.0

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/762958.shtml

This was my friends flight. He's currently in critical condition. I don't know much in the way of details other than he's got severe burns and 'not out of the woods' according to his wife. This is a man who literal saved my life on one occasion and was the best man at my wedding. Assuming he was the pilot, I at least know that this is what he wanted to do for as long as I ever knew him. We met in 7th grade and from the first time I met him he wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot. 4th Generation military, 3rd generation Marines, 2nd Generation Marine Corps officer he's always been the bravest man I've known. Praying he makes it through this.

There's no information in the article that I can see, but hoping for the best.

it hasn't hit any major news services beyond the headline yet. I'm getting my information from the 31st MEU's facebook page and his wife.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/feb/20/he ... -thailand/

They've misspelled his first name in the article (Its Bryan not Brigan) but that's definitely them.

Good luck and wishes for a speedy recovery for all envolved.

_________________
"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

You're in my thoughts hun, I'm sorry this happened to your friend and hope she pulls through okay.

The update I got from his wife:
Burns over 60% of his body, some deeper than expected and burns and soot in his lungs. They have some concerns about his kidneys too and have already had to remove a chunk of his thigh.

Prepping myself for the worst.

He's actually made a lot of progress up until today-- few steps back today.
Saturday, the surgical team from San Antonio flew out to Singapore and Sunday they flew him back to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Huston. I'm told they've got one of the best burn units in the world.
Debridement and wound cleaning surgeries along with skin grafts going on every other day.
He got the breathing tube out for a day or two; the soot they feared in his lungs never materialized and the burns to the lungs are much better. He's opened his eyes, and had a coherent conversation with family and they've determined that there seems to be little to no memory or cognitive impairment from the crash.

To quote one of the surgeons, "You can tell he's a Marine. He's doing everything we've asked of him and then some more."

He did start to spike a fever yesterday and again today. They intubated him again because he's laboring to breathe and they don't want him using any more energy than necessary; they'd rather he spent the energy fighting infection. They have determined he's developing pneumonia, and have moved him up to the high power antibiotics.

Glad to hear he's at Fort Sam. I've always felt better about that place than other Army hospitals, Walter Reed included.

_________________
"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Just an update here: What was not reported during the early months of this process was that he lost his left hand at the mid-forearm. (They amputated soon after arriving at BAMC) Its been a roller coaster journey thus far. He's now home, but can only walk with assistance about 150 feet at a time. He actually came home at the end of July, but had to be re-hospitalized for 2 weeks for a major infection of the bone on one knee. I think they've FINALLY got his skin back in place in the last week or so, so no more grafts. (they sent him home with exposed/bandaged bone on his knee! that's shocking to me--of course it didn't end well, and he had to go back, but now he's 'covered') the regrowth medicines are causing an overgrowth of the bone on one arm that they're monitoring, and he's still going to have 2 years of surgery to clean up scar tissue so he can begin to use his other hand. (There's so much scar tissue he can't bend much of it)

July

And at his wedding back in 1999

He and his wife were interviewed for ESPN's Veteran's Day piece about the Gary Sinese Foundation