Just found out a close friend was WIA in Iraq

Check out the following email I got:
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Hi everyone...I wanted to send a message on Denis\'s behalf to give everyone an update on how Denis is doing. For those of you who haven\'t heard yet, Denis has returned to the US. On October 14th, he sustained a single gun shot wound to the upper left arm while in theater just outside of Al Qaim. The shot shattered the humerus bone, severed the brachial artery and took a 40% scoop out of his median nerve. After the incident, he was medivaced out to Al\'Qaim where the docs performed a vein graft from his left leg to create a bypass to repair the brachial artery to save his arm. It was successful! He was then flown to Baghdad and then onto Germany a few days after that. He arrived in the US on October 19th and is currently a patient at Bethesda Navy Medical Hospital. He\'s doing very well. When he arrived from Germany, he was equipped with an external fixator which held his arm in a fixed position. This past Thursday, he had his major surgery to repair the bones in proper position, remove the external fixator and attach an internal medley of plates and pins. They also took another vein from his leg to do another bypass on his brachial artery. The first graft was fine but it wasn\'t suitable for someone as young and healthy as Denis. He has a good pulse which says the vein is working properly. The nerve damage he sustained has caused some numbing and lack of movement in his pointer and middle fingers. He\'s unable to make the \"ok\" sign with his thumb and pointer finger. The doctors are not concerned at this point. The nerve will regrow at a rate of 1 mm a day but the entire nerve from his shoulder to his wrist will need to reprogram itself so it may take a year or two to get use of those fingers again. He is in good spirits which is the most important thing.

We\'ve been in the hospital for a little over 2 weeks and have hopes of getting discharged by the weekend. We\'ll be going to Pax River, MD while he\'s in recovery which should last a few months.

If you\'d like to send cards or well wishes to Denis while he\'s in the hospital, they can be sent to

Lt. Denis Oliverio

Marine Casualty Services Branch

8901 Wisconsin Ave.

Bethesda, MD 20889

After we\'re discharged, cards can be sent to 134 Sonata Way Centreville, MD 21617.

He\'s able to check email, so feel free to email. He\'ll get to them!

Thank you for all of your support and prayers. God Bless!

Kate Oliverio
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This is the first friend I\'ve had who has been wounded in action. I moved into the house of a guy who was KIA, but that doesn\'t count. I don\'t really know how to take it. I feel a lot of sympathy for Dennis and Kate, but mostly I feel anger towards the insurgents that did this.

I can\'t wait to get over there and start killing these mf\'ers.