Day 9 - SPC Kevin Keith

SPC Kevin Keith: Army Reserves. 253^rd Transportation Company.

Hometown: Westminster, CA

Birthday: October 26^th

Alive Day: May 3, 2004

Interests: Football

“[They] want the regular Kevin to come back, [but] war changes you . . . you can provide this new Kevin, but that’s the best you can do.”  

– Kevin Keith

Kevin Keith grew up with six siblings. After high school in 2003, he enlisted in the Army Reserves and deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, from February 2004 to March 2005. His unit spent most days on the road conducting convoys. Kevin was a .50 caliber gunner, providing security in either the front or rear vehicle of the convoy.

In his words, they “got hit all the time.” The job of the gunner is a heavy responsibility. As Kevin says, the gunner is “in charge of the convoy and the lives of everybody in it.” When he was riding in the lead of the convoy, he “took no chances.”

On a routine convoy, Kevin was the rear gunner when an IED was remotely detonated as his vehcile passed. The fragmentation missed him, but the concussion of the round blasted Kevin into the armor plating on the vehicle, resulting in head and back injuries.

After the relentless stress of convoy after convoy, Kevin had a tough time when he came home. He watched a documentary about a Warrior named Jeremy Feldbusch. Jeremy lost his sight, but could still hunt with the help of his dad. Kevin was inspired, so he signed up for “Project Odyssey” with Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). Thankfully, he’s now on the road to recovery.

Visit the Wounded Warrior homepage.