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Bomb injures Orfordville man in Iraq
By Jen Scherer
Daily News staff writer
A Naval Reserve officer from Orfordville was injured when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq last week.
Troy DeVault, 40, is recovering from his injuries in Germany and is expected to be flown to California soon. A man who was working alongside him did not survive the blast.
Troy's wife Karry DeVault, the Town of Beloit clerk, said she was home at 6:15 a.m. July 12 when a doctor in Troy's unit phoned, giving her the news.
“Oh my God it was horrible,” Karry said. “It was horrible.”
Troy is in the Navy Reserve out of Madison, but was pulled into Naval Mobile Construction Battalion #25, or NMCB #25, out of Fort McCoy.
In January he was sent to port in California, where he remained until mid March. He was then shipped to Iraq and joined with a Marine Unit. Karry said Troy had been on convoys with the Marine Units.
“He was - from what I gather and what I've been told - deactivating a roadside bomb,” Karry said. “Apparently they missed one behind him and it detonated.”
She has been told unofficially it was possibly a plastic explosive as opposed to what they normally use, which is how it was overlooked.
The man who was with Troy did not survive, and Karry did not have any information about him. Troy, she said, is lucky to be alive.
“He's got a fracture in his L1 vertebrae and two ruptured eardrums and lots of lacerations and burns and open wounds on his back and arms,” Karry said. “He can walk though, so we're lucky. He was unconscious for two and a half hours after it happened.”
The doctor who phoned her called shortly after the incident happened to let her know what was going on and what was going to happen with Troy's treatment.
Karry said they do not at this point know what kind of permanent injuries Troy may suffer. It's possible he may suffer hearing loss.
The military told Karry that Troy will be shipped to a Naval Hospital in San Diego where he will go under the care of a neurosurgeon.
“As soon as he gets there, they're going to arrange for my kids and I to fly out there so we can find out what's going on, and we can see him and be with him,” Karry said.
Troy and Karry have a daughter, Kristi, 19 and a son, Scott, 16.
“You can't imagine,” she said of how hard it is not to be with Troy.
Karry and the children have had an opportunity to speak with Troy on the phone, and they have the number to where he is staying in Germany.
“It's not the same but it helps a lot,” Karry said.
Karry said the military is helping immensely by making all their arrangements. She said she doesn't know if she could have done so on her own.
Exactly when Troy will be flown home depends on injuries of other military personnel. If someone needs more critical treatment, that person will be sent before Troy. Right now, she's been told he could be sent home within the week.
“I got my suitcases packed and arrangements made for the dog and all that kind of stuff,” Karry said. “I'm just waiting for the phone call.”
Troy is a mechanic for the Rock County Highway shop. When Karry first met him 20 years ago, he was on active duty for a four year stint.
He enlisted in the Navy Reserves several years ago. Karry said that it was something to do on the weekends, a way to make some extra money and he also missed the camaraderie with the military. Had he known September 11 was coming, he might not have done it.
Had Troy not been injured, he was scheduled to come home in mid September.
Karry does not know what will happen after Troy recovers, but she is just glad he'll he back in the U.S. soon.
“(We're) planning for him to come home and all of a sudden you get that phone call, and it tears your world apart,” Karry said. “We'll be OK. We're tough. We'll get through it.”
Troy DeVault, 40, is recovering from his injuries in Germany and is expected to be flown to California soon. A man who was working alongside him did not survive the blast.
Troy's wife Karry DeVault, the Town of Beloit clerk, said she was home at 6:15 a.m. July 12 when a doctor in Troy's unit phoned, giving her the news.
“Oh my God it was horrible,” Karry said. “It was horrible.”
Troy is in the Navy Reserve out of Madison, but was pulled into Naval Mobile Construction Battalion #25, or NMCB #25, out of Fort McCoy.
In January he was sent to port in California, where he remained until mid March. He was then shipped to Iraq and joined with a Marine Unit. Karry said Troy had been on convoys with the Marine Units.
“He was - from what I gather and what I've been told - deactivating a roadside bomb,” Karry said. “Apparently they missed one behind him and it detonated.”
She has been told unofficially it was possibly a plastic explosive as opposed to what they normally use, which is how it was overlooked.
The man who was with Troy did not survive, and Karry did not have any information about him. Troy, she said, is lucky to be alive.
“He's got a fracture in his L1 vertebrae and two ruptured eardrums and lots of lacerations and burns and open wounds on his back and arms,” Karry said. “He can walk though, so we're lucky. He was unconscious for two and a half hours after it happened.”
The doctor who phoned her called shortly after the incident happened to let her know what was going on and what was going to happen with Troy's treatment.
Karry said they do not at this point know what kind of permanent injuries Troy may suffer. It's possible he may suffer hearing loss.
The military told Karry that Troy will be shipped to a Naval Hospital in San Diego where he will go under the care of a neurosurgeon.
“As soon as he gets there, they're going to arrange for my kids and I to fly out there so we can find out what's going on, and we can see him and be with him,” Karry said.
Troy and Karry have a daughter, Kristi, 19 and a son, Scott, 16.
“You can't imagine,” she said of how hard it is not to be with Troy.
Karry and the children have had an opportunity to speak with Troy on the phone, and they have the number to where he is staying in Germany.
“It's not the same but it helps a lot,” Karry said.
Karry said the military is helping immensely by making all their arrangements. She said she doesn't know if she could have done so on her own.
Exactly when Troy will be flown home depends on injuries of other military personnel. If someone needs more critical treatment, that person will be sent before Troy. Right now, she's been told he could be sent home within the week.
“I got my suitcases packed and arrangements made for the dog and all that kind of stuff,” Karry said. “I'm just waiting for the phone call.”
Troy is a mechanic for the Rock County Highway shop. When Karry first met him 20 years ago, he was on active duty for a four year stint.
He enlisted in the Navy Reserves several years ago. Karry said that it was something to do on the weekends, a way to make some extra money and he also missed the camaraderie with the military. Had he known September 11 was coming, he might not have done it.
Had Troy not been injured, he was scheduled to come home in mid September.
Karry does not know what will happen after Troy recovers, but she is just glad he'll he back in the U.S. soon.
“(We're) planning for him to come home and all of a sudden you get that phone call, and it tears your world apart,” Karry said. “We'll be OK. We're tough. We'll get through it.”
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