By Terrie Welwood
Russell Banner

“When I see a stray dog arrive at my property scared, hungry, and simply looking for someone to care, I understand that feeling. In many ways, I was there once too. Resurrection Rescue is my way of making sure that neither people nor animals have to face that darkness alone.”
IED: A homemade or unconventional bomb.
It’s an abbreviation that comes up a few times as Steve Stoesz tells the story of his time in the military. And his reasons for starting up Resurrection Rescue and their upcoming Mud for Mutts fundraiser on August 29 and 30.
That story is as interesting as it is important, in many different ways. We’ll share some of it here.
Steve recalls that his first IED experience was on May 25, 2008.
“It was a suicide vehicle that detonated right beside our LAV,” he remembers, adding that he was the gunner standing in the turret, looking directly toward the explosion.
“Up until that moment, the idea that I could be wounded or killed overseas had crossed my mind, but after that blast it became a physical reality. Everything changed.”
Before that day, he said, as the fighting season had not really started, their tour had been relatively quiet.
“The Taliban typically fought during the summer months when the green foliage provided cover. After that day, it was like someone flipped a switch. Gun battles became a daily occurrence across the area we were operating in.”
The first firefight, he said, it hit him hard.
“Two Afghan National Army soldiers fighting alongside us were shot. While our medic treated them, we provided security as rounds cracked past us, some coming frighteningly close. Watching the damage those bullets caused just behind us while hearing them fly all around was a sobering experience. It drove home just how quickly life could change.”
As the tour continued, there were countless gun battles, mortar attacks, and rocket attacks. Then, on July 4, Stoesz hit a second IED.

To read the whole story, pick up a copy of this week's Russell Banner and turn to pages 1 and 2.