To: U.S. Marine Corps - General James F. Amos and United States Department of Defense
Cpl. Farrell Gilliams name added to the OEF Memorial Wall
We want 3/5 US Marine, Cpl. Farrell Gilliam's name added to the US Marine, Operation Enduring Freedom, 5th Regiment Memorial Wall
Why is this important?
We believe that Cpl. Farrell Gilliam was killed in action!
On January 5, 2011, our beloved 25 year old Farrell stepped on an IED while on a dismounted patrol with his unit, (3/5 Marines, Lima Co.) in the Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He suffered many catastrophic injuries, including the amputation of both legs above the knee and several open fractures of his right arm including a 6 inch segment that is missing bone and tissue. His worst injury however was to the right side of his chest and abdomen, which took the full impact of the explosion, and left him completely eviscerated as a result of the blast.
With the help of Hospital Corpsman HM3 Brown, HM3 Gojar, Cpl Griff, and Lcpl Gutierrez, lifesaving measures were immediately undertaken to stop his bleeding in the field. He fought for his life in the back of the Marine transport truck which raced him back to camp. He fought for his life as he was Medi-Vac'd from base camp to a hospital in Kandahar where he underwent 9 hours of damage control surgery. He fought for his life as he was medi-vac'd again to Bagram Hospital in Afghanistan, where he underwent further damage control surgery. He fought for his life as he was flown to Landsthul Germany, where he underwent further surgery and again as he was flown to the US, arriving state side, on Janury 9, 2011 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland (outside Washington DC), with trips to the OR continuing every other day since then. But Farrell is a fighter! The Doctors have said that to survive an abdominal wound like his is one in ten million - they rarely see them because nobody ever survives them.
Farrell was a fighter and after three years of fighting he succumbed to further injuries from which he did not recover. We believe Cpl. Gilliam was killed in action and the fight he gave in trying to recover makes him worthy to have his name placed with his other fallen brothers on the Camp Pendleton, Operation Enduring Freedom, 5th Marine Regiment Wall. Please sign our petition in agreement of this cause.
On January 5, 2011, our beloved 25 year old Farrell stepped on an IED while on a dismounted patrol with his unit, (3/5 Marines, Lima Co.) in the Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He suffered many catastrophic injuries, including the amputation of both legs above the knee and several open fractures of his right arm including a 6 inch segment that is missing bone and tissue. His worst injury however was to the right side of his chest and abdomen, which took the full impact of the explosion, and left him completely eviscerated as a result of the blast.
With the help of Hospital Corpsman HM3 Brown, HM3 Gojar, Cpl Griff, and Lcpl Gutierrez, lifesaving measures were immediately undertaken to stop his bleeding in the field. He fought for his life in the back of the Marine transport truck which raced him back to camp. He fought for his life as he was Medi-Vac'd from base camp to a hospital in Kandahar where he underwent 9 hours of damage control surgery. He fought for his life as he was medi-vac'd again to Bagram Hospital in Afghanistan, where he underwent further damage control surgery. He fought for his life as he was flown to Landsthul Germany, where he underwent further surgery and again as he was flown to the US, arriving state side, on Janury 9, 2011 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda Maryland (outside Washington DC), with trips to the OR continuing every other day since then. But Farrell is a fighter! The Doctors have said that to survive an abdominal wound like his is one in ten million - they rarely see them because nobody ever survives them.
Farrell was a fighter and after three years of fighting he succumbed to further injuries from which he did not recover. We believe Cpl. Gilliam was killed in action and the fight he gave in trying to recover makes him worthy to have his name placed with his other fallen brothers on the Camp Pendleton, Operation Enduring Freedom, 5th Marine Regiment Wall. Please sign our petition in agreement of this cause.