Family waits for soldier to awaken

published 1.18.06

It could be an hour from now. A day, a week, a month — nobody can say for certain.

But Spc. Evan Mettie of Selah will wake from his coma. His family is certain.

They're keeping a constant vigil at his bedside at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, where the 22-year-old soldier has remained in a coma since being transported there after a New Year's Day attack in Bayji, Iraq.

Slowly, the 2002 Selah High School graduate is showing signs of waking up. His temperature has stabilized, his heart rate is steady and his blood pressure looks good.

He's even swallowing and moving his head from side to side on occasion. His family hangs on these little gestures, his father, David Mettie, says.

All in all, things are looking better than the Metties expected when they arrived in Maryland nearly two weeks ago. David Mettie says "not knowing" was the hardest part.

"Before we got here we didn't know what to expect or what condition he was in," Mettie said in a Tuesday telephone interview. "Your mind takes you down paths you don't want to go."

Evan Mettie is unresponsive to voices and unable to tell his family what happened in Bayji, a city outside of Mosul. Still, his parents have been able to piece together the events that led to their son's injuries.

On New Year's Day, Mettie was one of four soldiers from the Army's A Troop, 133rd Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Divisionpatrolling a four-lane highway.

Mettie was riding in the gunner position in a Humvee when the soldiers, all based out of Fort Campbell, Ky., came across a suspicious-looking vehicle, his father said. Two sergeants got out of the Humvee and in that instant, a man in the vehicle blew up himself and the car.

One sergeant was killed instantly and another nearly lost a leg. Miraculously, the driver of the Humvee escaped with minor injuries.

Mettie sustained massive injuries to the left-side of his body. He was first treated in Iraq, where surgeons permanently removed the left side of the skull to allow space for brain swelling. Eventually, doctors will put an acrylic plate in his head.

Once he stabilized, Mettie was transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, an American military hospital in Germany. The following day he was flown to Bethesda, where he remains.

Although the soldier is showing signs of waking up, it will be a while before he sets foot in his childhood Selah home. He's expected to be transported to Palo Alto, Calif., for rehabilitation once he's recovered from the coma.

His doctors are uncertain if he'll have permanent injuries from the explosion.

This was Mettie's second deployment to Iraq and his service was to be completed in September. His father said the young soldier was on the fence about re-enlisting.

"He's been through a lot there (Iraq)," David Mettie said of his son's service. "He's had some tough times and I'm confident we don't know all of it."

He still has some tough times ahead of him, and the Metties will be with him at every turn. They praise the military for flying the family to Bethesda and providing food and lodging so they could be at his bedside.

by Tracy Sawyer