Atherton given a hero’s welcome in South Prairie

Published 4:15 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

By Jessica Keller, The Courier-Herald

Army Spc. Kristopher Atherton doesn't consider himself a hero - he reserves that title for the men and women fighting in Iraq.

But the residents of South Prairie, where Atherton's family lives, and many others who gathered in South Prairie and Orting Saturday to celebrate his return from Iraq and thank him for his service don't agree.

Atherton, 24, spent the last four months recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., after his left arm was amputated when his Humvee was attacked on a mission in Iraq. He said he never expected any of the celebrations when he returned to his family's home in South Prairie Nov. 18 on a two-week leave.

Atherton, who attended White River High School, was awestruck by how many people he knew came out Saturday to see him and thank him for his service.

"It was incredible because it was actually people in the area that I know, people I know who came to support me, not just strangers or people who are supporting a cause, they're there for me. They're supporting me; it's incredible," Atherton said.

In a ceremony on the lawn of the South Prairie community center and fire station, Nov. 29 (Saturday) was proclaimed Kristopher Atherton Day in South Prairie, and he was presented a flag that he said has been flying in the town since Sept. 11.

And despite a cold November drizzle, a parade followed, featuring numerous fire trucks, motorcycles driven by veterans, bagpipers, military vehicles and Atherton and his wife Heather sitting in an open, antique fire truck waving to the crowd.

"That was crazy, I've never seen so many fire trucks in my life," Atherton laughed.

After his parade in South Prairie and Orting, a reception followed at the Washington Soldiers Home and Colony in Orting, where he was also inducted into the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 969.

"The people that were there supporting me, seeing the heroes of the past, present and future, it was just overwhelming," Atherton said.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 969 and the South Prairie Cares Committee organized the celebration for Atherton.

South Prairie Mayor Layne Ross got involved in the celebration for Atherton through the South Prairie Cares Committee. He said they only had a couple of weeks to organize everything.

"We don't get real heroes in our town, and this is the first proclamation I've ever done for an individual, but it's well deserved," Ross said.

Ross said Saturday's ceremony was great.

"Not too often does the town of South Prairie have pomp and circumstance, and it's for a good cause. He's a real hero."

Atherton, who describes himself as a mild-mannered, laid back, humorous person, admits he thinks it's unbelievable he now has a day named after him in South Prairie.

"My daughter definitely is going to grow up knowing that her dad did something that people thought was so incredible that they named a day after him," Atherton said. Atherton looked dapper in his dress uniform Saturday, and other than the prosthetic arm he wears, it was not obvious what he had to endure during his time in Iraq.

He was deployed with his unit, Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, from Fort Riley, Kan., in early March. The attack on his Humvee happened in late July.

"It's pretty much the day to change my life," he said.

Atherton had volunteered for the mission the night before. He said it was early in the morning and he really wasn't prepared for anything that drastic to happen. Nobody was.

"It just lets you know how unpredictable the world is," Atherton said. "It also lets you know how much the world needs to be changed for the better."

Early in the morning, at about 4:30, he and a few others left the military camp and headed to the Baghdad marketplace where they picked up an Iraqi prisoner. From there Atherton and four others - a gunner, second lieutenant, the prisoner and an Iraqi interpreter - headed from west Baghdad to east Baghdad, about 15 miles, to recover some stolen property. They needed the prisoner to show them where it was located. They didn't make it to the destination. Along the way their Humvee, which Atherton was driving, was attacked, probably by a rocket-propelled grenade. Atherton said he never heard a boom, just saw a flash, and when he looked down he saw his left arm, torn by shrapnel, bleeding.

Atherton said he put his arm on his lap and at that point he immediately decided he had to turn around and keep driving. He said others were injured, and had they stayed they would have been in a vulnerable position.

"We could get hit hard," he said.

Even though he was driving on three flat tires, he had made up his mind to make sure they got to the hospital. He said it only took about 20 minutes, even driving slow. And before anyone could receive any medical attention, Atherton stopped at the gate, following protocol, and made sure the prisoner could be taken into custody, as he couldn't enter the base.

Atherton said he could still move his thumb and forefinger when he arrived at the hospital in Iraq, so he knew his arm was still attached, but when he woke up while being lifted out in a Black Hawk, he saw his arm was gone, and knew they hadn't been able to save it.

Atherton and the gunner, who lost his eye due to the blast, were the only ones airlifted out of Iraq.

The gunner and Atherton, who didn't know each other well prior to the attack, bonded together at Walter Reed and became good friends.

His arm was torn apart because of shrapnel and he said doctors retrieved a piece of metal from his arm that was two and a half inches long. When he was asked if he wanted to keep it, Atherton vehemently refused.

"I said 'it came from Iraq and it could stay in Iraq," Atherton said. "At that time I was very angry about it, and I didn't want to deal with anything at that time."

The attack suddenly changed his life plans. Atherton wanted to complete his stay in the military and then attend college. Now, that plan has been sped up considerably, and as soon as Atherton receives his discharge papers, he plans to attend college and become a teacher.

" It just flip flopped (my plans) really," Atherton said.

Three days after his injury he saw his family, whom Atherton said has been very supportive. He said the biggest concern for him was how he would take care of his wife and daughter, but he also decided he wasn't going to let anything stop him, not even a missing arm, from completing his goal.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to take care of my family," he said. "It pretty much gave me an extra push to make me become the things that I want to become."

Despite being glad to be with his family again, Atherton said he is sorry his career in the military ended.

"I don't know, it was just a bond that I had with the guys there," Atherton said. " I always will have that bond. If they allowed me to go back today, then I'd go."

He said while in the hospital he spent more time worrying how is wife and daughter were going to deal with his injury than he was.

"My wife's taking it rather well. It probably hit her harder than it did me, but she's doing better now," Atherton said, adding it because easier for her once Atherton convinced her he could still take care of himself.

Atherton, who arrived in Washington on a two-week leave, will soon return to Washington D.C. after stopping in Kansas, where Fort Riley is located. After he receives his orders in Washington D.C., he will return to Fort Riley for his discharge papers.

While the last few weeks have been busy for Atherton, he's not too concerned.

"I got a lifetime to recover," he said. "I don't really let things get to my head. I'm more relaxed now that I got home."

Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald