Students make cards for injured soldier
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Shrewsbury - After U.S. Army Sgt. Jillian Hayes was severely wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq Oct. 26, her husband and childhood sweetheart, Brian Hayes, was there to meet her when she was airlifted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28.

Over the past several weeks, Brian has been at his wife's side almost constantly as she receives treatment for three serious wounds on her legs as well as shrapnel up and down her legs, injuries for which she received the Purple Heart.

Jillian's parents, Allen and Elizabeth Rich, and Brian's parents, Marla and Tim Hayes, all of Shrewsbury, have also been down to visit their her.

Tim Hayes said Jillian's recovery is going even better than expected, and he credited that to Jillian's strong sense of determination and positive attitude.

"She has use of her legs for only short periods of time and using them is a real challenge for her … but she's headstrong, she has a great attitude and she wants to get better," he said.

Jillian is scheduled to return to Shrewsbury Saturday Dec. 15, and Tim said he wants to be sure his daughter-inlaw gets the hero's welcome she deserves when she gets home.

Left: U.S. Army Sgt. Jillian Hayes and her husband, Bryan, are in good spirits as Jillian receives treatment for injuries sustained by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The cards displayed behind the couple were sent by Jillian's brother, Colin, and his classmates. PHOTO/SUBMITTED

Tim works at Paton Elementary School and organized a card-writing campaign to welcome Jillian home and offer her well wishes for a speedy recovery. He said he expects there to be at least 100 cards waiting to surprise Jillian when she arrives home this week.

"She has six months of physical therapy ahead of her, and this will be really good for morale," he said.

Tim is also hoping to have Jillian visit the students at Paton once she's well enough to do so.

At the moment, Jillian has been told that she will not be returning to Iraq, something Tim said she was initially against.

"She misses her buddies quite a bit, but she knows her mother, father and husband are all just glad that it looks like she's not going back," he said.

Right: First-grader Andres Torres works on a card for U.S. Army Sgt. Jillian Hayes, who was injured in Iraq in October. Torres is one of dozens of Paton Elementary School students working on cards for Hayes, who's expected to return to Shrewsbury this week.

Brian is a life-long resident of Shrewsbury who met his future wife when she moved to town in 1994. The couple was living at Fort Riley in Kansas when Jillian was deployed, but both will now return to Shrewsbury.