A SusanvilleStuff Gallery
by Marshel and Jeremy Couso
The people of our town frequently do things we can be proud of and last Saturday’s Homes for our Troops event at Susanville Ranch Park was one of those times when Lassen County residents came together to make a difference – an incredible difference – in the life of a true American hero, Marine Cpl. Joshua Hotaling.
Cpl Hotaling was on his first deployment when he suffered the traumatic amputations of both of his legs and severe hand injuries in an IED blast in Sangin, Afghanistan on May 13th, 2011.
The Mine Sweeper of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Cpl Hotaling was sent to clear a compound in order to secure a place for his Marines to sleep that night. Immediate aid was rendered by his team who worked to save his life and prepare him for medical transport. Never losing consciousness, Cpl Hotaling remembers the sights and sounds that surrounded his evacuation including being carried on a litter past Afghan villagers who witnessed the events.
Transported to Bagram Air Force Base, Cpl Hotaling was rushed into surgery to try to stop his blood loss and repair the artery in his right wrist. Unfortunately the surgery was not successful, necessitating the eventual amputation of his thumb and part of his index finger. Next airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, Joshua arrived two days after the blast to see his mother standing at his bedside.
Knowing then that he was seriously injured and unable to speak while connected to a respirator Joshua pointed to letters on a board to spell out a message asking if any of his buddies had been hurt as well. He was relieved to learn that he was the only one injured that day.
Arriving at Bethesda after spending two days in Germany, he would remain there for two and a half months enduring surgeries and therapies before being transferred to Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego where he continued to receive treatment until his retirement in February 2013.
Cpl Hotaling was flown in by the flight crew from Mountain Lifeflight and spent some time Saturday morning at the fundraiser, meeting friends and fans and being shown a wonderful display of respect, patriotism and reverence for the sacrifices he had made for his country.
Funds raised by the Blue Star Moms 5K and 1 Mile run will help Homes for our Troops build a house in Loomis for Cpl Hotaling.
Good job Susanville, and especially you Blue Star Moms for all of the hard work you do. It’s people like you that make us all realize what we can accomplish as a community.
We have almost 200 photos from Saturday’s event! Click here and head over to SusanvilleSnapshots.com to see them all!
We have almost 200 photos from Saturday’s event! Click here and head over to SusanvilleSnapshots.com to see them all!
