Updated October 29, 2004 0:10 AM
Aggie's fiance wounded
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Special to The Eagle |
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Army Sgt. Joseph Bozik and his |
By GREG OKUHARA
Eagle Staff Writer
Before Army Sgt. Joseph Bozik left for duty in Iraq last month, his fiancee, Jayme Peters, told him she would always be there for him — no matter what happened.
Just weeks later, tragedy struck. Bozik was severely injured in Baghdad on Wednesday when the vehicle he was traveling in drove over a roadside bomb, Peters said.
As a result of his injuries, the sergeant lost both legs and his left arm. The two other soldiers riding in the vehicle received minor injuries, Peters said.
“I’m still kind of in shock because it doesn’t seem real,” the Texas A&M University senior said Thursday as she prepared to travel overseas to see her wounded fiance. “It just seemed unbelievable because he had just been home on [leave] less than a month ago.”
Bozik was scheduled to return home from duty in February.
About 20 minutes after Peters learned he was wounded, the reality of the situation sunk in. She said she went to her mother’s workplace and cried on her shoulder.
But Peters said she will remain by the side of the man she describes as “the love of my life.”
“I’d rather it be his limbs than his life,” she said.
Peters said Bozik, 26, was treated at a hospital in Baghdad. She received a call Thursday that he was stable enough to fly to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment.
She still has not been able to talk to Bozik, although she said he probably is heavily sedated. She said she can’t wait to see him again.
Peters, 24, said she was told that because she is not an immediate family member, the Army may delay the couple’s reunion.
“If I have to run down the hospital halls and break through nurses, I’ll do it,” she said with a slight giggle. “I’m not a violent person, but I’ll do what I need to do to see him.”
Despite the life-altering injuries he suffered, Bozik is strong willed, Peters said. He always went above and beyond the norm in everything he did, she said.
Because he was one of the oldest soldiers in his unit, the younger guys looked up to him like a big brother, she added.
The two met through a mutual friend while he and Bozik were stationed in Afghanistan. Peters’ friend thought Bozik should meet her, and the two began corresponding through e-mail two years ago, she said.
They decided when Bozik returned from duty in Afghanistan that they would meet. And when they did, sparks flew.
Peters said she remembers telling her mom that they were a great match, connected so strongly that they would sometimes finish each other’s sentences.
“We just hit it off,” she said. “I had found my soul mate. It was like we were twins. We were just right together.”
Bozik joined the Army after getting about halfway to a college degree, Peters said. He felt a sense of duty to serve his country through military service, she said.
By fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Peters said, her fiance was preventing the battle from spreading to the United States.
“He felt like he was doing the right thing,” she said. “If that meant risking his life to save millions more, he was going to do it.”
Before Bozik left for Iraq, Peters said, they talked about the possibility of him being wounded while serving his country. She said she assured him that if anything did happen, she would still love him and be with him.
“We knew the risks and were aware of them,” she said. “He felt confident he would make it back OK.”
Since finding out he was wounded, Peters said, she hasn’t had time to think about what she’ll say or do when she finally sees her future husband. She will fly to Washington, D.C., on Friday and then make arrangements to continue to Germany.
“If I can give him a hug, I will,” she said, adding that she is not sure if his medical condition will limit how much contact she can have with him. “I’ll tell him I love him and stay there as long as I can. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
• Greg Okuhara’s e-mail address is gokuhara@theeagle.com.