HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN - Cpl. Matthew Babler, a 2009 Monticello High School graduate, is recovering from a gunshot wound to his right shoulder he suffered while on active duty in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, July 2.
Babler, who is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, was shot while at a platoon patrol base in southern Helmand Province.
Babler said he was very fortunate. During an interview conducted via Facebook Thursday night, July 4, Babler said he was shot by a Taliban sniper. A fellow solider treated his wounds.
"I couldn't have dealt with the pain by myself and they were with me every step of the way," Babler said of his fellow soldiers.
He had surgery for the wound at Camp Bastion, a British military base in Lashakr Gah, the capital of Helmand Province.
According to the Associated Press, the southern Helmand Province has been the deadliest area for the U.S-led coalition, and is where more than 900 international soldiers have been killed, including more than 350 Marines.
Marines are no longer walking foot patrols that once were common in much of Helmand. Instead, they mainly work on large bases, teaching and mentoring Afghan security forces. Once, there were more than 21,000 Marines in Helmand spread across nearly 300 bases. Now there are just more than 8,000 Marines, but the danger and risk hasn't subsided, according to the AP.
"I would describe Afghanistan as a dangerous place, but the Afghanistan National Army and the local police are doing their best to make it a safe place for the Afghanistan people," Babler said.
Babler has served in the Marines for three and a half years and is four months into his seven-month deployment.
"It has it's ups and downs just like anything else, but it prepares you for life in every single way," Babler said of the Marines. "You live a lifestyle and endure hardships that college kids will never understand. It puts things in perspective and you appreciate the things most people overlook."
Babler will have to go through a four- to six-month rehabilitation on his shoulder. He's not sure when he will be back in Twentynine Palms, Calif., where he is stationed. He still has six more months of duty left with the Marines.
"I plan to take what I learned in the Marines and go forward with my life," he said. "I want to go to college somewhere and further my education."
Babler, who is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, was shot while at a platoon patrol base in southern Helmand Province.
Babler said he was very fortunate. During an interview conducted via Facebook Thursday night, July 4, Babler said he was shot by a Taliban sniper. A fellow solider treated his wounds.
"I couldn't have dealt with the pain by myself and they were with me every step of the way," Babler said of his fellow soldiers.
He had surgery for the wound at Camp Bastion, a British military base in Lashakr Gah, the capital of Helmand Province.
According to the Associated Press, the southern Helmand Province has been the deadliest area for the U.S-led coalition, and is where more than 900 international soldiers have been killed, including more than 350 Marines.
Marines are no longer walking foot patrols that once were common in much of Helmand. Instead, they mainly work on large bases, teaching and mentoring Afghan security forces. Once, there were more than 21,000 Marines in Helmand spread across nearly 300 bases. Now there are just more than 8,000 Marines, but the danger and risk hasn't subsided, according to the AP.
"I would describe Afghanistan as a dangerous place, but the Afghanistan National Army and the local police are doing their best to make it a safe place for the Afghanistan people," Babler said.
Babler has served in the Marines for three and a half years and is four months into his seven-month deployment.
"It has it's ups and downs just like anything else, but it prepares you for life in every single way," Babler said of the Marines. "You live a lifestyle and endure hardships that college kids will never understand. It puts things in perspective and you appreciate the things most people overlook."
Babler will have to go through a four- to six-month rehabilitation on his shoulder. He's not sure when he will be back in Twentynine Palms, Calif., where he is stationed. He still has six more months of duty left with the Marines.
"I plan to take what I learned in the Marines and go forward with my life," he said. "I want to go to college somewhere and further my education."