Wounded Soldier Proving There is Life After War

FAIR OAKS, June 12 – Sgt. Brian C. Fleming is no stranger to life and death situations. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, Fleming was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received in combat when he was attacked by a suicide bomber on July 24th, 2006 in Afghanistan. After surviving not just one, but two serious attacks in the War on Terror, Sgt. Fleming is now able to share his miraculous story to audiences all around the world. New Life Community Church of Fair Oaks celebrated Independence Day this month by honoring Sgt. Fleming at their annual Freedom Celebration services on Sunday, June 29th. New Life heard of Fleming via the Roever Evangelistic Association, through which Fleming now shares his extraordinary experiences at military bases, churches and schools across the nation.

Sgt. Fleming had only been married to his wife, Jamie, for three months when he was deployed to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division infantry in March 2006. Just four months later, while on a routine patrol along Highway 1 near Kandahar, Fleming’s convoy came under attack. A suicide bomber, who was driving a white van loaded with mortar and artillery rounds -- one containing White Phosphorus -- ignited his vehicle right next to Fleming’s Humvee, knocking it 100 meters off the road and tossing Fleming and two other GIs out.

“I found myself outside of my Humvee burning with skin hanging off of my hands,” Fleming said. “I didn’t know what had happened, so I began to walk around, dazed from the concussion I suffered from the blast.” As it turns out, Fleming sustained second and third degree burns to both of his hands, his face and neck.

Fortunately, Fleming’s Humvee had a couple inches of bullet-proof glass. “The door saved my life, as it took all the shrapnel that would have normally cut straight through me,” Fleming stated. Three days later, he was flown to the Brooke Army Medical Burn Center in San Antonio, Texas, where Jamie immediately drove to be by his side. Doctors performed reconstructive surgeries and began rebuilding his hands with skin grafts. He eventually wore compression gloves that helped heal his burned skin.

Remarkably, this was the second time Sgt. Fleming had survived a blast. The first occurred shortly after he arrived in Afghanistan when his vehicle ran over homemade anti-tank mines that caused the Humvee to lift 5 feet off the ground before crashing onto the side of the road. He walked away from the incident amazingly unharmed.

Looking back, Fleming acknowledges God’s protection on his life, and is grateful for the prayers of family and friends back at home. At the time of each attack, his mother and wife, respectively, felt compelled to especially pray for Brian on those days. They would all learn later the amazing events that had unfolded on each occasion. As Brian puts it, “It was the Army who sent me to Afghanistan, but it was [everyone’s] prayers that brought me home.”

Following fourteen months of rehabilitation in San Antonio, Sgt. Fleming was medically retired from the U.S. Army. Since his discharge, Fleming and his wife have been working with, and personally mentored by Dave Roever, founder and president of Eagle’s Summit Ranch in Westcliffe, Colorado, a place where injured soldiers are trained in public speaking and ministry. “Brian paid a terrible price for freedom, but no price has proven to be too great for a wounded warrior with a heart for his country,” Roever, who was severely injured in the Vietnam War, has stated [quoted from Brian’s website]. “Brian’s message is one of hope and God’s protection.”

New Life Community Church is located at 8101 Sunset Ave. in Fair Oaks. For more information, please call the offices at (916) 536-LIFE (5433) or visit www.aboutnewlife.com.

For more information on this story, please contact Sharon Ottowa at 536-5433 x 318, or send an e-mail to Sharon@aboutnewlife.com.