Fighting to Stay Active
Marines' Hearts, Warrior Spirits Help Overcome Loss of Limbs
1st Lt. Charles E. Hayter
'It hurt like you wouldn't believe'
To any casual observer visiting the F-11A range here, 1st Lt. Charles E. Hayter, a 26-year-old from Billings, Mont., looks like any other platoon commander watching over his Marines as they zero their rifles before they deploy to Iraq.
A closer look might reveal otherwise, but it would have to be a really close observation.
The only telltale sign is the tightness of his trouser leg over one of his boots – the boot that covers the prosthetic foot that replaces the one he lost in Afghanistan as the platoon commander for Mobile Assault Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.
On July 9, 2004, Weapons Plt., Lima Co., 3rd Bn., 6th Marines, led by Hayter, left the perimeter at Bagram Airbase, to investigate the site where a U.S. Army patrol received fire the day prior.
At the supposed spot where the previous day's fighting occurred, they found what seemed to be a well-traveled foot trail, he said.
"We dismounted the humvees and swept up the trail; four Marines on the left and four on the right. I made it about 15 feet and stepped on an Italian toepopper," he said.
An Italian toe-popper is a small antipersonnel landmine. The mine shredded his foot and immediately cauterized the wound.
"It hurt like you wouldn't believe," said Hayter.
Hayter was flown to Bagram where he immediately went in to surgery and soon after was evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
"At Germany, I got a hold of some crutches and went and sought out other wounded Marines," said Hayter.
Meeting the wounded Marines, most coming out of Iraq, served as a huge element of motivation for Hayter, he said.
Back at Camp Lejeune he was promoted to first lieutenant and received countless visits from other Marines including the III Marine Expeditionary Force deputy commanding general.
However, the newly promoted Hayter had a decision to make.
"Everyone was talking to me about medical retirement and what my options were after the Marine Corps. At (Naval Medical Center Portsmouth) I met a Navy SEAL who had had a limb amputated but was working toward going back on full duty with a SEAL Team and deploying with them. That's when I decided to stay in the Marines," Hayter said.
His foot, however, was still a concern. He still had his heel and after numerous reconstructive surgeries would still be able to keep his foot. The other option was to amputate his leg at mid-shin. The recovery time would be faster and would get him back to work just as fast.
Hayter did what most people would abhor; he opted for amputation.
After nine days at Portsmouth, he returned to Camp Lejeune and checked in to the 6th Marine Regimental Headquarters and immediately began getting back in shape.
"When I would go to the gym, other Marines would come up to me and say I motivate them. To me, it was the other way around. It's what's instilled, the ability to adapt and overcome. I hope all Marines can do the same," he said.
The regimental headquarters started a football team, knowing Hayter's love for the game. Hayter had played during his days at Carroll College in Wisconsin. Three months after his amputation, he was back on the field.
"No one felt sorry for me, they basically told me to ‘suck it up' which really helped," said Hayter.
His commanding officer offered him command of a platoon in the battalion if he was able to get back on full duty status. Once Hayter felt able to return, he made the trip to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he was screened.
"I met a lot of wounded Marines there who wanted to return to full duty. I drew strength from them," he said.
At Walter Reed, he got the final stamp of approval to return to full duty. He took command of a platoon in 3rd Bn., 6th Marines as promised, and ran the three-mile run on his physical fitness test in 26:40.
"When a Marine gets wounded, he doesn't want to feel alienated. The biggest thing we can do … is to take these guys in, give them a challenge, and make them feel like Marines again," he said. "I love Marines. I think God's greatest creation is the United States Marine Corps."
