Five years ago, Bradley Buckland was working at a grocery store in Newport, looking for change in his life. So in January 2006, he joined the Army.
To say that the events between then and now changed Buckland’s life is an understatement, but one thing is for sure: Buckland’s family, friends, central Maine community and just about anyone else who hears his story regards him as a war hero.
After enlisting, Buckland was whisked away to training in Texas, and before he knew it he was sent to the Middle East. As an infantryman, his job on most days was going house to house looking for insurgents or providing security. In his 13 months in Iraq, the 2003 Maine Central Institute graduate lived through improvised explosive attacks three times and remembers several instances when he had bullets whizzing all around him.
“When you’re in the infantry, that’s what your job is,” Buckland said Monday as he was about to be honored with a Maine Silver Star Honorable Service Medal. “You just learn to kind of live with it.”
On Oct. 21, 2007, Buckland and his platoon were called to escort Iraqi police on a patrol outside Baghdad. Buckland and others were positioned for a time on a rooftop. Eventually, Buckland stood up to stretch.
“I felt the thump before I heard the shot,” said Buckland, now 25. “I went right down.”
The sniper’s bullet hit Buckland in the right hip, tore through his lower abdomen and exited through his stomach. He never saw the shooter.
“When you get shot, you want to know what happened,” said Buckland, but he doesn’t. Crystal-clear in his memory, though, are the months and years of surgeries, pain and healing that he has endured since.
He’ll deal with his injuries for the rest of his life — a limp, a restricted diet, a daily pill, dark memories — but his sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. Several dozen veterans gathered Monday at the Corinna American Legion to see Buckland, who lives in Corinna, receive the medal.
Peter Ogden, director of Maine’s Veterans Services, said Monday that approximately 1,000 medals have been given to killed or wounded veterans since the program began in 2006. At first the focus was on those hurt or killed after Sept. 11, 2001, but the program has expanded to honor
wounded veterans and the families of deceased veterans from earlier wars.
Ogden said presenting the medal to individuals is one way to recognize Maine’s role in armed conflicts dating back generations. The state has one of the highest per-capita ratios of veterans, totaling more than 150,000 living men and women. That’s about 16 percent of the overall population, said Ogden.
State Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, arranged for Buckland to be honored.
“This is a fascinating story of sacrifice, right here in Corinna, Maine,” Fredette said during Monday’s presentation. “None of us could be any more proud of Brad than we are right now.”
Amid the warm applause and knowing looks from a roomful of somber veterans were members of Buckland’s family, including his parents, Gregg and Pam Buckland of Detroit.
“It’s unbelievable,” Gregg said after the ceremony, emotions welling up in his eyes. “We’re very, very proud of him.”
Pam Buckland agreed.
“Brad has a hard time being honored,” she said. “He feels that he shouldn’t be singled out for what he’s done. He’s always thinking of all the people still in the military and thinking they should be honored as much as he is.”
Brad Buckland had little to say when it was his turn to speak, other than to thank his family for their support.
“[Being in the military] is a family thing and I want to thank them,” he said. “Most soldiers couldn’t do it without their families.”
