Home

Beyond just 'welcome home'

BY CHRISTINA M. WOODS - The Wichita Eagle

Volunteers, many veterans themselves, spruce up the home of Master Sgt. Juanita Milligan, who was seriously injured while serving in Iraq. Master Sgt. Juanita Milligan sat in a wheelchair Sunday in the cool shade of her two-car garage, witnessing what often goes unseen when a wounded soldier returns home from battle.

Outside in the heat, volunteers armed themselves with water bottles and tools, preparing to physically demonstrate "thank you" by sprucing up her Andover house. The volunteers -- mostly members and motorcycle riders from the American Legion Post 136 of Mulvane and the Kansas Patriot Guard -- knew Milligan's injuries prevented her from performing the landscaping tasks, plugging a hole in her backyard that caused her basement to leak, and clearing and rearranging her garage, among other tasks.

Milligan suffered serious wounds on Aug. 20, when the Humvee she was in was hit by shrapnel from a roadside bomb as she led a truck convey along a road in Iraq. She lost most of the femur in her right leg and two nerves in her right hand, and suffered a wound to the chest. Milligan, a mother of three, has endured more than 20 surgeries and continues to undergo counseling. Every day, she has physical therapy for at least four hours.

The volunteers realized a soldier's homecoming was about more than flowers, flashing cameras and relieved hugs. They recognized the aftermath. Volunteers started a fund in her name that Milligan would like to see help other injured soldiers upon their return home. "This is more touching than opening a checkbook," said Jerad Krueger, an American Legion member who serves with the Kansas Air National Guard. He was in charge of planting flowers along Milligan's front entrance. Krueger's 12-year-old daughter, Morgan, tagged along and said she was glad she came because Milligan was "such a nice lady."

Cregg Hansen, department chairman for the American Legion Riders, said volunteers had been planning for about six months for Sunday's activities. "It feels good to do something for Juanita," he said. "She's done so much for all of us."

Milligan has spent the past 14 years serving with the 89th Regional Readiness Command. This year, she would have celebrated her 20th anniversary in the Army Reserve. She deployed in 2004 as a squad leader with the 443rd Transportation Company, leading heavy-equipment transporters on the main supply routes of Iraq and Kuwait. She then returned home briefly and volunteered to deploy as a platoon sergeant with the 179th Medium Transportation Company before she was injured.

Last fall, Milligan received the Purple Heart. In May, she received the Philip Pistilli Silver Veteran's Medal in Kansas City at the 54th annual Truman luncheon. While Milligan is still adjusting to life at home, she is reluctant to accept all of the attention. "There are a lot more people out there that need a whole lot more than I do," she said. But Sunday was for Milligan.

Her neighbor, Adrian Veatch, said he was surprised to find so many vehicles lining their streets. "It was amazing when I woke up," he said. "I thought she was having a garage sale at first but then I saw all the landscaping tools. It's kind of impressive."

The experience was an eye-opener for Dennis Scuffham, a legion rider and veteran. "Most of us here are Vietnam vets and we didn't have this when we came home," Scuffham said of the support. "This is a healing experience for us." As it was for Milligan. "I couldn't ask for better people," she said. "I know the community wants to support the troops overseas and all. But some of us need a little bit more help when we come back home-- injured or not."