Sgt. Darrell Wallace was dead, but now he lives. His story is not an unfamiliar one from the war in Iraq, a heartw renching story that has made many Americans wonder why we are there in the first place.

Except he doesn't see it that way. Darrell has faith in our military objectives, seeing the good our military does that few of us know about. He escaped with his life, and he is eternally grateful for that. He has a son to raise. Unwavering and unflinching patriotism leads him to look you in the eye and say convincingly, "If I had it to do over with again, I wouldn't change a thing."

With a wide and generous smile, he says, "I like fighting for my country."

This young man was riding down a desert road one day, and his vehicle exploded underneath him. Both of his legs had to be amputated above the knees.

His hips and pelvis were crushed, and he lost all of his blood down to a pint. "Medics," he explained, "said I was dead for two minutes." His left arm was badly mangled, and his internal organs were damaged. Those are the depressing details, but he would rather have you know the good news.

"They hurt me but they didn't get me," he says defiantly. "I lived to hunt and fish again. When I was going through the roughest of times, I became determined to return home and take my son, Chase (now four), fishing." The sergeant expects to follow through on his dream to go out west and hunt elk.

Last fall, he enjoyed a couple of dove hunts. In winter, he got in another deer hunt, a longtime passion. He went turkey hunting as the guest of Bob Haughey here in the spring. If you have any bass in your lake and extend an invitation, his response will be: "Have tackle, will travel." If you fish with Darrell, you may catch more fish, but chances are you won't enjoy it as much as he.

Since he was a kid, two places he has always felt at home have been the outdoors and the blue skies above, the love of which led him to become a paratrooper. "I have always had a passion for jumping out of airplanes," he said.

While he doesn't want anyone to feel sorry for him, endless questions abound when you consider that some people experience a starcrossed life.

Darrell was raised by his grandparents. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother abandoned him. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps early on in life. He played high school football in Thomson but believed his best opportunity in life was to be found via the military.

I met Darrell at a fundraiser here and came away with a collection of sobering thoughts. All too many Americans—even in a down economy—remain focused on living the good life, elite education for our kids and accumulation of assets.

There aren't very many (who are motivated by those pursuits) who ever think about dying for their country. The men and women of our armed services in the Middle East have a different slant when it comes to patriotism. Their lives are on the line every hour of the day.

If we don't have to worry about a son or daughter in harm's way— which is the way it is for the majority of Americans—then reach out to the families who have had to experience what Sgt. Darrell Wallace has experienced and worse.

All you have to do to appreciate the exceptional qualities of this young man, and those of his military brothers and sisters, is to hear him say to anyone who will listen, "I'm not bitter about what has happened to me."