'Life is precious'
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By MITCH SHAW
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
While recovering from battle wound, Top of Utah man becomes a father again
Audio: Listen to an interview with Army Sergeant Joshua Cheever
BOUNTIFUL -- Joshua Cheever's military instincts kicked in immediately when he was hit in the back with a sniper round.
The lifelong Ogden resident and military police officer said that, when he felt the bullet pierce his skin, his first thought was to locate the shooter, capture him and ensure the safety of those around him.
But soon after he was wounded, military justice was the last thing on his mind as he found himself wondering if he would ever see his pregnant wife and 3-year-old son again.
Cheever is a part of the 101st Airborne Division, which is attached to Fort Campbell Army Base in Kentucky. The unit was on duty in Tikrit, working with the Iraqi police and patrolling the local community.
"It was kind of a tough deal because, a lot of times, we would kind of have to drag them (Iraqi police) along," Cheever said.
"We worked with the community trying to clear up many misconceptions. It was hard."
The 26-year-old Army sergeant had served in Kirkuk, Iraq, in 2005 and 2006, so the war on terror was nothing new to him.
"I had been shot at a bunch of times. It was really no big deal," Cheever said.
"I saw roadside bombs, snipers -- everything. I thought I'd seen it all, but I hadn't."
When Cheever was hit in the lower back on a daily routine mission in the city, the bullet shattered the left portion of his sacrum -- a triangular bone at the base of the spine -- and damaged his colon.
"At first, there was no pain. It just felt like my leg was falling asleep," Cheever said. "The only thing I could feel was my leg tingling."
Cheever's platoon sergeant maneuvered a truck in front of him to protect him from further shots. He then dragged Cheever's 6-foot-8-inch, 250-pound frame into the truck and drove him to the unit's base.
"It took about 15 minutes to get back to the base, and about halfway back, that nice tingle went away and I started to feel the pain," Cheever said. "Every little bump in the road, I started feeling a lot of pain."
Cheever went to a combat surgical center in Tikrit for surgery. Doctors initially told him he would be fine, but the diagnosis quickly changed.
In the span of a few days, Cheever's condition went from good to critical, and he was sent to four hospitals -- the initial facility in Tikrit, then one in Balad, then one in Landstuhl, Germany, and finally to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
He was shot April 2 and arrived April 6 in Washington. While he was in Walter Reed, Cheever received a Purple Heart.
"It was rough -- I hallucinated I died three times," Cheever said of his time at Walter Reed. "I would wake up and just freak out, pulling out my IVs, screaming."
Meanwhile, Cheever's wife, Sara, was pregnant and at home with the couple's 3-year-old son, Daniel. Sarah had received an e-mail from her husband early in the morning on the same day he was shot.
"I got the e-mail, but he usually always called me at about 10:30, and when he didn't, I started to worry a little," Sara said.
"Then I got a call from someone saying he was Joshua's commander and that Joshua had been shot. It was the day after April Fool's, so I first thought it was a joke."
The call was far from a joke -- more like a nightmare. Sarah was 36 weeks pregnant and had one small child already, and she was trying to come to grips with the reality that her husband might be taken from her.
"It was horrible. I can never go through that again."
When the couple's daughter, Leah, was born April 16, Cheever's life was still in question, but Sara said her faith carried her through the ordeal.
"I just had this feeling like it wasn't his time to go," she said, "and he's still here today, so I guess I was right."
Cheever has had nine surgeries so far. The last surgical procedure he received involved connecting a part of his colon to his anterior abdominal wall, leaving him with a large opening on the abdomen.
Another surgery, which will be performed soon, will reverse the procedure.
Since the shooting, Cheever has lost almost 100 pounds. He and his family are living in Bountiful with his wife's parents.
He hopes to get well enough to rejoin the Army. He said his status will be reviewed in the next year.
"It won't be a full recovery," he said. "I won't be exactly how I was before, but I will be able to walk and live a normal life.
"I want to be a part of the Army again -- it's what I do. I worry so much about the younger soldiers, and I want to be there for them."
Cheever said his experience has taught him a valuable life lesson.
"That's what this whole thing has taught me," he said.
"Life is precious, and your family and the people you care about is the only thing that matters."
Add Your Comment
Thanks for your service. We have an adopted gal in Tikrit. We lost a brother in the 101st in Vietnam in 68 and pray for our troops everyday. Blessings to you and your family.