Story of a 2003 knife attack in Iraq.

[arnisador]

A Wall Street Journal story (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124727385749826169.html?mod=googlenews_wsj) on the use therapeutic dogs included this brief mention of a knife attack in Iraq:


That changed in December 2003. [Second Lieutenant] Montalvan was walking in a compound on Iraq's border with Syria at around 9:30 p.m. when a man leaped out of the darkness and started slashing at him with a knife.

He pulled out his Beretta and shot the man, wounding him. Another soldier killed the attacker, according to Army records and several soldiers who served in the unit. Mr. Montalvan was thrown into a truck, fracturing three vertebrae.

It's unclear to me how he came to be thrown into the truck, but he did suffer serious injuries from it and now uses a cane. It says here (http://www.nyc24.org/2009/independent/story2/) that he fell backwards and slammed his head, breaking the vertebrae and causing TBI. He left the service in 2007. Among other things, he now fears crowds and suffers from anxiety. He now also is a member of a veterans against the Iraq war group (http://www.inthesetimes.com/community/profile/6497/).

[arnisador]

Two updates:
Franken bill becomes law, giving canine companions to injured vets (http://www.fox21online.com/animaltales/update-franken-bill-becomes-law-giving-canine-companions-injured-vets)



Minnesota Senator Al Franken is celebrating the passage of his first bill into law.

[...]
The measure sets up a pilot program to unite injured military veterans with service dogs.

[...]
Franken put together the bill after meeting a New York man and his dog, Tuesday, at the presidential inauguration earlier this year. Capt. Luis Montalvan suffered with post traumatic stress disorder from the Iraq War, and told Franken how Tuesday has allowed him to enjoy a more normal life.


Iraq Vet Says McDonald's Workers Beat Him (http://www.courthousenews.com/2009/10/30/Iraq_Vet_Says_McDonald_s_Workers_Beat_Him.htm)


A disabled Army captain who was wounded in Iraq claims McDonald's employees beat him with garbage can lids after he brought his service dog to the restaurant. Luis Montalvan says the attack came as he was photographing the restaurant after he repeatedly complained about the treatment he received there.
[...]
Montalvan says he was wounded with knives and hand grenades during his first tour of duty in Iraq, and developed post traumatic stress disorder, in addition to his spinal cord damage and brain injury. He was awarded a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, according to his federal complaint.

He says that when he brought his dog Tuesday to McDonald's, the employees told him he had to leave his "pet" outside.
[...]
Montalvan seeks punitive damages


Funny, "punitive damage" was exactly the phrase that came to my mind when I read about a couple of McD's workers beating a disabled veteran.