I am in the process of writing an update about what I've learned talking to Aaron today, but in the meantime, here are excerpts from an email that Kelly sent a few days ago. We had a small problem with my email address receiving it, so understand that it was written several days ago. Still, I thought you would all like to hear Kelly's perspective on all of this. Enjoy the words of my fantastic sister-in-law:

To all of our loyal fans,
I am honored and pleased to bring good news from Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. I finally can say the name of this hospital without messing it up a few times. It's been an interesting past few days, to say the least, and every day is better. We give credit to the Lord and your prayers for Aaron's amazing and consistent recovery. I'm sure everybody is anxious to get updates, so I took it upon myself to annoy the doctor and beg him to let me use his personal lap top so that you all could hear it straight from the horses mouth, which would be me, his faithful wife, Kelly.
If you haven't had the privilege to meet Aaron yet, you should know that he is a strong Marine and he has always had higher ambitions for his life than I could ever comprehend. He reaches every goal, nothing could ever get in his way, and he is always right, which can get frustrating, as you can imagine. He would do anything for a friend and he never meets a stranger. He has made it very clear to us that he is thankful that he was the one to get injured instead of one of his buddies in Iraq. He is the definition of sincere, noble, chivalrous, and brave. I can't believe that five years ago, as a 14 year old clueless girl, I snagged him and he's stuck with me this long.
And for those of you who do know him, well, to put it simply, he is still the same ole Aaron Rice we all know and love. He never ceases to amaze me. He is so strong it seems to defy logic. I just wish you all could see him, because he is truly an answer to every prayer. I think that we have tied up all the God lines for Aaron. I am so grateful for his every breath, blink and even flinch. He is alert, aware and able to comprehend this tragedy, but it is no tragedy in Aaron's eyes. And to add to his positive attitude, he is absolutely hilarious when he is awake. There are people lining up at his door waiting to talk to him because he has become famous for his entertainment. I am not kidding when I say that there are times when we are rolling on the floor with laughter. I believe this is also an answer to prayer. Only Aaron Rice can make this situation fun and make it look easy. If anybody can handle this, it's Aaron.
There is nothing stopping him. The narcotics, sleepiness, and pain medicine make for some pretty funny conversations. He feels pain in his legs of course, but the strong Marine will not complain about anything. We have to beg him to tell us where it hurts. It's unreal. His daily progress is breathtaking. He has his moments, don't get me wrong. The man has experienced more in two weeks than most people will experience in a lifetime.
Aaron is still proud to be a Marine. He shakes every man's hand and gives him a "Semper Fi" shout out, which is the Marine Corp motto meaning "always faithful." He is so very proud to have been able to serve his country. He told me he is glad to be home, but does not regret a thing about his time in Iraq. He loves his country and he loves the Marine Corp. He would go back to Iraq tomorrow if he could. But trust me, I'm never taking my eyes off him again.
And as for me, I am so proud to be the new wife of a hero. I am proud to serve him. I have come to understand what unconditional love really means. I will never take the vows I made to him on November 20, 2004 lightly: in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, till death do us part. We all have so much more to be grateful for than to be sad about. I really believe that God gave us two legs so that we could lose one. It is through your prayers and support that we can keep this positive attitude and motivation. It is so clear that the Holy Spirit is in the room with us, and is even filling Aaron's every breath. It's a feeling that just can't be explained in words. I am staying strong for Aaron's sake. He deserves it. I am so optimistic about the next few weeks. The Lord will get us through the tough times and provide us with many encouraging times. Before we all know it, Aaron will be up and running, literally, and ready to be there for all of us like you have been for him. I am so grateful for all of your messages and you really have no idea how much it has helped. There have been very few down times for me. Thank you all for your support of my Marine. It is humbling to think about the number of prayers lifted up on our behalf. I don't know what I would do without you all, even those who I have never met. I wish there was some way I could thank you personally, but you'll see in a few months that your prayers have been answered when Aaron is back on his path to reaching those goals and ambitions. We appreciate your prayers and concern. A second never goes by that I don't know I am being prayed for.
Thank you again for supporting my husband and our hero. He will be just fine, you have my word.

Kelly Rice