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by Laura Battiata and Katherine Walsh
Sgt. 1st Class David Arabinko does not remember his time in Iraq.
After being deployed in March 2003, he spent five months in northern Iraq as an 18 Delta—also known as a Special Forces medical technician. He was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Sept. 1, 2003, exactly one month before he was scheduled to return home to his wife and three-year-old son in Colorado. On August 28, David was traveling in a military vehicle that came under enemy fire. He sustained a superficial gunshot wound to the head, and his vehicle, which was going in excess of 90 mph, rolled over and burst into flames. As a result of being thrown through the windshield, he suffered severe head and neck trauma.
David joined the Army in 1986, one year after his twin brother enlisted. He grew up in a military family; his grandfather served as an army medic in WWII and his father spent time in the Navy. He spent four years in infantry and was selected in 1990 to train for the Special Forces. As a Special Forces medical technician, he had expertise in advanced trauma and life support and was trained to stabilize a victim in the field for up to four days. The responsibility of his unit was to land in friendly or enemy territory by any means necessary to rescue victims. To execute this mission, he was trained as a paratrooper. His current hospitalization is not the first time he has required extensive rehabilitation for serious injuries.
Sitting next to her husband’s hospital bed, his wife recalls his first days at Walter Reed, when he was unable to talk, move, or breathe on his own. David arrived on full ventilator support and was minimally responsive. An MRI of his brain revealed cerebral and midbrain contusions as well as diffuse axonal injury. He had a Glasgow Coma Scale of 11 and no movement of the right side of his body. Upon admission, David was evaluated by the Traumatic Brain Injury service, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Through medical care, intensive rehabilitation, and strong family support, David progressed rapidly. After 16 days and two modified barium swallow studies, he was able to begin an oral diet.
David’s future with the Army is unknown. Like many injured soldiers, David wants to return to his previous duties and continue serving his country. He would like to continue as a free-fall instructor and hopes to return to college and become a physician’s assistant. He has served his country in the Army for 17 years. His medical condition will dictate whether he will remain as an enlisted soldier or will be forced into medical retirement. At the present time, David’s largest barriers to functional independence are his continued right hemiplegia and his severe memory loss. He struggles to remember his home, his employment responsibilities, and most details of the last 13 years. Although David feels ready to go home now, he will need to go to a VA hospital to continue rehabilitation. His length of stay and need for rehabilitative services have not been determined.
The most memorable experience for David was a visit from President George Bush and the first lady. The president asked the Arabinkos’ three-year-old son, Ulysses Shelby Arabinko (named so his initials would be USA) about his father. He described his father perfectly, saying “My daddy is broke.”
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