Hey folks. I'm starting to feel like I'm hosting my very own talk show here. Tonight on Missing Mississippi, we have a very special guest, Lance Corporal Aaron Rice, who has just weighed in with his own letter from Maryland.

Hey Haley!
Thank you so much for dedicating your website and time to my updates. Reading it and the responses on it was so much fun, I didn't want to reach the end. Hearing the stories from your perspective and with your famous "Haley style" humorous spin makes it so much fun to read. That and the fact that most of the stuff I read about me being in ICU was also news to me made it very interesting. Yes, the drugs were very strong. I have to say I crack myself up sometimes. I guess I can now honestly say that sometimes I amaze even myself. (A note to our readers: "Sometimes I amaze even myself" is a famous saying of our Dad's. It's just fabulous to know that now we'll have two people saying it. -Haley) Now that I am able to get up and about, I thought everyone would like to hear a word or two from my big mouth.
I want to start by assuring everyone that I am doing very well and that there is no need to worry about me. The loss of my leg does not concern me, for several reasons. First of all, I can only praise God for sparing my life. The IED exploded within a few feet of my body. I should be dead right now and the only reason I'm not is because God was watching me and protecting me. The wounds I did receive from the blast were kept to minimal impact on my body thanks to the Marines and corpsmen taking care of me after the explosion. Everyone did exactly what they were trained to do, even though we were receiving incoming mortar fire. They recovered me from the vehicle even though my right leg was trapped, stopped my bleeding and injected me with morphine, got me out of the danger area and into a building they secured, and called in a medivac perfectly and had me in the sky within 30 minutes. I know that the prayers of so many countless people were answered on that day. Not only could I be dead, but my injuries could be so much worse. I could have brain damage, be paralyzed, have failing organs, be blind, deaf, mutilated, be a paraplegic, or all sorts of combinations of horrible injuries. But instead, I am just switching out one leg for another, and I am keeping my knee in the process, which will make the situation almost as if I never lost the leg to begin with. I am receiving the best treatment in the world, my prosthetic will be made with the best technology in the world, and I will be walking, running, climbing and swimming within no time. I will be 100 percent functional, just like I was when I left, and that is so much more than can be said for so many who have suffered injuries in Iraq. People tend to cringe when they hear the word "amputate" because all they can think of is permanently losing a limb. But I'm not just losing a limb, I'm getting a great one in exchange for it. I have heard so much from other patients about how prosthetic technology has come so far in the last few years because of the War on Terrorism, and that these new prosthetics are almost like having your old leg back. Especially when you still have your knee. I was blessed by God and fast action by my friends in combat and can only be grateful that I have my knee.
The point I am getting to is that soon, I will be back home, enjoying my new life with my new bride. And this event, while not in our choosing, has allowed me to come home alive and well. And with everything I have been blessed with, I will be able to enjoy my life exactly the way I did before I left. The only difference will be that I'll have to snap my leg on in the morning and snap it off at night. That's not a lot to complain about. I can honestly say that my only regret is that I had to leave my buddies back in Iraq to do the job without me. (Guys, if your reading this, I will be praying for you every day. You have my word on that. You guys keep your heads in the game, and stay safe and come home alive because I want to see each and every one of you when you get back!) Apparently Kelly is not in favor of me going back to Iraq when I get healed up, so I won't be going back anytime soon. Really though, I am so happy to be home, I can't wait to get walking (and running) again so I can see everyone back home. I can't wait to start back school at Mississippi State, move into mine and Kelly's first home and start our lives together, see all my friends and family, and just enjoy life back here at home. I've missed it, and I can only thank God for bringing me home. Thank you all for your prayers, they have kept me alive and are keeping me in high spirits and in well recovery now. I can never thank ya'll for all the support I've received. It amazes me how much love has been poured out for me. I only hope I can return it all when I get back. Thanks again for everything, and keep me in your prayers.


Sincerely,
Aaron Rice