Marine Corps News Room

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051028/NEWS01/510280408/1002/NEWS

Ernst Lamothe Jr.
Staff writer

(October 28, 2005) — BATAVIA — After being attacked twice in three weeks in Iraq, first in a roadside ambush, then by a suicide bomber, most people would want to stay home for good.

Not Lance Cpl. Scott Calkins.

The Batavia native is ready to go back to the front lines.

"I feel bad leaving my friends behind," said Calkins, 19, of the 2nd Marine Division, a ground combat outfit.

Calkins is resting at home after being awarded the Purple Heart on Oct. 3 by Vice President Dick Cheney. He is to be deployed to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on Wednesday.

"We're a family here, but he has an adopted family in the Marines, and sometimes it is hard to share your son with another family," said his father, Rick Calkins. "But they have been really positive for him and we appreciate that."

The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the armed forces who has been wounded or killed during battle. With cuts under both eyes and multiple scars on his left hand, Scott Calkins' battle scars are hard to miss.

He suffered his first injury on Sept. 2 during an ambush.

"I remember shooting and then shrapnel came into my hand," he said. "My weapon jammed, and there was blood all over the place." In what was considered a minor injury, he said, shrapnel entered his index finger and crossed the knuckles on his left hand.

The second injury, on Sept. 23, was more serious.

He and seven other men were in a Humvee near a vehicle checkpoint in Al-Karmah. The Marines didn't know that a suicide bomber was 15 feet away in the car ahead of them. When the bombs exploded, all the men suffered various wounds.

The military flew Calkins to Germany, where he was treated for cuts under both eyes, damaged eardrums and more cuts to his left hand, this time to his middle finger just above his knuckles, where new pins were inserted.

"My hand is not sore, but I don't have the range of movement I should have," Calkins said.

He added that he has a hard time hearing now but describes his overall health as good.

'Leave no man behind'

While the phrase "A few good men," has become synonymous with the Marines, a lesser-known motto is "Leave no man behind." Because of this, Calkins hasn't fully enjoyed being honored with the Purple Heart.

"We were actually excited about it, but he was kind of depressed because his unit was over in Iraq and he got to come home," said Calkins' father. "He's concerned about leaving his friends over there."

In addition, the younger Calkins wanted his whole unit recognized for bravery.

Dawn Calkins would rather her son set up a permanent base in Batavia, but she knows he has a heart for military life. When he was 16, Scott told his parents that he wanted to join the Marines after countless talks with recruiters. On Nov. 7, 2003, he officially signed up. He went to boot camp in South Carolina on Sept. 13, 2004, three months after graduating from Batavia High School. He went to Iraq on July 18, 2005.

"It was scary because we knew a war was going on and we knew he would be going to Iraq," said Calkins' mother.

However, she said she always supported his decision and was proud when he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in July.

Mother's intuition kicked in when her son called in late September. She knew how many days he was scheduled to be in the field and that he was calling too early. While it was hard hearing that her son had been injured again, she was happy her worst fears weren't realized.

"The second time he got injured, it didn't sink in right away and then I started getting really nervous, wondering if he had lost a limb," said Calkins' mother. "He was kind of downplaying everything. It feels good that he is home now."

Meanwhile, he's enjoying pizza, subs and Mom's home cooking, a definite upgrade from meals ready-to-eat.

"After a couple of days," Calkins' father said, "he went back to eating us out of house and home."

ELAMOTHE@DemoratandChronicle.com