Injured soldier thanks students for support
By Melissa Muntz Community Reporter

Army Sgt. Jillian Hayes fields questions from children at Paton Elementary School in Shrewsbury. PHOTO/MELISSA MUNTZ

Shrewsbury - Army Sgt. Jillian Hayes visited with students at Paton Elementary School Jan. 3, thanking them for the cards they sent her while she was in the hospital being treated for wounds sustained in Iraq. Her husband, Brian Hayes, accompanied her to the school.

Jillian was airlifted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Oct. 28, 2007, following a roadside bomb attack that left her with serious wounds to her legs, wounds for which she received the Purple Heart.

She brought the Purple Heart with her to show the kids while she answered their questions about her injuries, her time in Iraq and her plans for the future.

"It's nice that the kids are all so interested in what happened, and others can be affected by things and not want to talk about it, but not me," Jillian said. "I'd rather people ask the questions than just assume the answers."

Some of the questions posed to Hayes were easier to answer than others. Questions like if she was trained to fly planes in Iraq, how her living conditions in the country were and what the patches on her uniform symbolize were pretty simple.

Being asked if the people that set off the bomb had done it by accident was a little more difficult to explain.

"Some people in Iraq called terrorists don't like the soldiers, and they don't like us trying to help other people so they tried to hurt us by putting a bomb on the side of the road," she told the kids.

When asked what it felt like to have been bombed, Jillian described a chaotic situation that she survived only because of the people she was with at the time.

"It was scary because I didn't know if I was going to walk again. I didn't know if I'd be okay … I didn't know if I was going to live," she said. "But my whole squad saved me that day, so you need to have faith in people and in teamwork."

Brian has been by Jillian's side since she arrived at the hospital more than two months ago. The couple has been married two years.

Between Jillian's stateside training and deployment to Iraq, the couple has been apart for nearly half of their marriage. As Jillian continues with her recovery, Brian said, there's nothing more important than the fact that they're in this together.

"It's been chaos, just absolute chaos, but we're going to be okay," he said.

Jillian said she is unsure if she will return to Iraq at this point, a decision that will be solely dictated by her physical ability to do so. Although the bombing won't scare her from returning to war, she said, it has made her reprioritize her life.

"I initially enlisted because I wanted to deploy, but now I'm married and I want to have a family," she said.

The attack also made her realize what she wants to do with her life once she's discharged from the Army.

"I know I want to go to nursing school," she said. "I met so many wonderful people in the hospital, and I know I want to help other people in my situation."

Jillian said her ultimate goal is to work in an Army hospital, but right now she's just working on getting back to 100 percent.

Until then, she encouraged the children to continue off ering support to soldiers, which she said, is more important than anything to people serving overseas.

"Your cards were just so thoughtful and kind, and I'm not the only one who appreciates it," she said. "If you have loved ones serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, sending cards and letters can make a really big diff erence."