Bomb wounds Kalispell man

Patrick Marin, a 1993 graduate of Flathead High School, was injured June 2 by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Marin, a staff sergeant in the Army, was on duty as a Bradley commander when the improvised explosive device detonated in Iraq's northeast province of Diyala.

Reached by telephone on Tuesday, Patrick Marin said that he was serving with the 1st Cavalry deployed from Fort Hood, Texas. He was on patrol with a gunner and a driver in a Bradley fighting vehicle looking from members of the "Islamic State of Iraq."

"That's the latest version of al-Qaeda," he said.

Marin said the explosion didn't seem that powerful when the IED went off. He said he had six near-misses prior to this attack.

"At the time, I was inside operating the controls," he said. "The turret caught fire. We're not exactly sure what caused it."

Marin's uniform caught fire but he was able to exit the fighting vehicle. He then dropped to the ground and rolled into a canal by the road which stopped the progress of the fire.

He said he received seconddegree burns to about 25 percent of his body including his left thigh, left forearm, hands and face. Marin said the gunner was burned on more than 90 percent of his body and later died of his wounds.

The Army air lifted Marin from Iraq to Germany Landstuhl Medical Center where he spent about a day and a half. From there, he went for treatment to the burn unit at Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Marin said he was responding well to treatment.

"I'm really fortunate," he said. "It's been speedy."

He has been released to the outpatient treatment program. Marin said that he was focusing on recovery now and doesn't know if he would rejoin his unit in Iraq.

The sensitivity of his burned skin to sunlight may prohibit him from returning. He has six years left to serve in the Army.

Marin is the son of Gary and Gloria Marin, and has a sister, Sherry Miller, all of Kalispell. His mother reported that Marin has received a Purple Heart from his brigade commander.

Marin, 32, played football for Flathead High School in 1992. Following high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

After his stint in the Marines, he worked for a short time in law enforcement.

"But I really missed the military," Marin said.

In 2000, he enlisted in the Army.

His mother said he left for his second tour of duty in Iraq in October of 2006. He has also served in Korea.

He has one son, Alex, who lives in Arizona with Marin's ex-wife Georgina.

Anyone interested in sending a card or letter may send it in care of his parents, at 121 N. Haven Drive, Kalispell 59901. His e-mail address is patrickjmarin@yahoo.com.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com