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Justin Gaertner: Essence of a Man
3
November
Times photos by Kathleen Flynn / Story by Drew Harwell and Kathleen Flynn
On the day after Thanksgiving, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Justin Gaertner, 21, was patrolling for mines in the Marja district of Afghanistan when an improvised bomb, stuffed in a glass jug, exploded beneath his feet.
His legs were decimated. Shrapnel blasted into his abdomen and shredded his left arm.
He was flown to Washington, D.C., where he began what doctors said would be a long and daunting recovery.
Of the 46,000 American troops wounded in a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 1,200 have lost a limb. All of them face grueling treatments and uncertain futures as they return to life back home.
A graduate of Trinity’s Mitchell High School, Justin had always believed the Marines helped him grow up. But that bomb, in an instant, had reduced him to a child: diminished, dependent, unsure.
For him, adjusting to life without legs was about more than wanting to walk. How could he prove his strength to others, to himself? How could he, for a second time, grow into a man?
Touching Down
Justin Gaertner is standing on a military airstrip when the Boeing 767 jet roars into view.
It is a cool Sunday morning in May, and at this base near the Moreno Valley people have gathered to celebrate the end of deployment. Two companies of Marines are returning home after seven months at war in Afghanistan.
Justin squints into the sunlight, watches the jet get closer. It has been six months since the men on that plane saw him almost die.
Justin is standing on two new prosthetic C-Legs. For months he stormed through physical therapy, training twice a day, learning to balance. He wanted to be here when his buddies got here, to show them how much he has changed.
But now, as the jet wheels closer, he feels scared. He hasn’t had much practice on these legs, and he’s scared he’ll totter and fall. Scared a Marine will lift him clean out of his legs. Scared he’ll look powerless, like he needs their help.
"I don’t have legs," he says, "and they’re still shaking."
This is what it’s like to be reborn into a life you’re not prepared for, into a body you can’t understand. This is what it’s like to start over at 21. It is brutal. Exhausting. Numbing. It is feeling cut in half, feeling weak. It is not knowing whether you can ever feel strong again.
Men stream off the jet in single file. Men with machine guns, with buzz cuts, with rolled-up camo sleeves. They see the man with the chrome legs and they smile and hurry over, hugging him with rifles in hand. Justin stands tall and proud. He has seen his brothers home.
It isn’t until an hour later, walking across the Marine base at Camp Pendleton, that Justin falls. Lands hard on the concrete on his ravaged arm, still carved in deep with shrapnel.
He grimaces and squeezes his eyes tight.
Slowly he pushes himself back up. Stands on his rigid legs. Starts walking. These are the wins and pains of growing. This is being alive. ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Kathleen Flynn | Portfolio
31
August
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
New Orleans, five years after Hurricane Katrina
27
August
Photos and story by Kathleen Flynn
(News researcher Natalie A. Watson contributed to this report)
Five years ago, I photographed people struggling through one of the worst disasters of our time. I found them living on the Interstate or wading the rancid flood waters. Since then, each has experienced loss and a darkness that many of us will never know. But they have also been given perspective: A father now realizes his son is his world. A 10-year-old girl discovered a new life in a place without violence. A tuba player became part of New Orleans’ creative and musical resurrection. View audio slideshows of their stories.
Mark “Tuba” Smith
During Katrina, Mark Smith walked the Interstate with his sousaphone. “If I leave this I might as well jump in the water myself,” he said then. “This is my livelihood.” He briefly lived with relatives in Dallas before returning to New Orleans. His sousaphone was stolen in Texas. Its replacement was stolen in New Orleans. Since the storm he’s been featured in a book and on the covers of magazines. He plays for tips with various street musicians every day starting at 9 a.m. outside Cafe du Monde. He keeps a towel around his neck for the sweat. He wears silly kid glasses and has a little doll he calls his son attached to his tuba. In between songs, he rests on a short pillar next to the cafe. His knees are in constant pain, and the August heat is punishing. His current tuba isn’t brass, it’s a fiberglass student model. But Smith has played the tuba since he was in grammar school. He didn’t give it up to Katrina. He’s become part of a resurgence of music in New Orleans. He won’t quit now. ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Gulf oil disaster: Apalachicola
7
July
Frederic Kahler paints abstracts, portraits, landscapes, whatever. Lately he has been painting a lot of whatevers. They reflect what has been going on in the northern Gulf of Mexico since April 20, namely the gushing of millions of gallons of oil that already has taken a toll on wildlife, beaches and people who live on the coast.
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
The Swan Project
26
March
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Crawfish festival, USF basketball, talent show auditions
17
March
USF Bulls Alex Rivas battles for a rebound against North Carolina State Wolfpack Julius Mays (on left) and C.J. Williams in NIT tournament first half action at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa Tuesday evening, March 16. N.C. State won 58 - 57. [DIRK SHADD, Times] ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Rays spring training, Cavalia, eagle ray discovery
11
March
Mathieu Bianchi, atop Igor, looks up to Marie Elaine Mongeau during a media preview for Cavalia at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Thursday. The vivid, dreamlike scenes feature a unique interaction between human and horse, with live music performed during the show. Cavalia has been seen by more than 2.5 million people worldwide. The show opens Friday, March 12. For showtimes and ticket pricing, visit cavalia.net. SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM CAVALIA [DANIEL WALLACE, Times] ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
MLK parade, teacher celebration, candlelight vigil
21
January
Juanita Armogan, of Port St. Lucie, greets the crowd during the 25th Annual MLK Jr. Drum Major For Justice National Parade which took place from Central Ave. through downtown to the waterfront on January 18, 2010. She plans to wear her costume, which took her three weeks to make, again in June for the Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival. Marching bands from across the country, floats and civic organizations participated in the parade. SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM MLK EVENTS AROUND THE TAMPA BAY AREA [KATHLEEN FLYNN Times] ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Acrobats, frosty leaf, sunrise kayaker, Nutcracker ballet (9 images)
29
December
Seen through a Mary Keith's scope, an osprey, Pandion haliaetus, feeds on a fish in the trees at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa on January 2, 2010 during the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. [EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN, Times] ... Read more
OUR LENS | Exceptional work by the St. Petersburg Times staff
Florida ice skating, doused football coach, old fashioned bicycle (14 images)
15
December
Katelyn Ziarnicki, 5, of Sarasota, gets some help from her dad Pat as she 'glice' skates at North Straub Park on Saturday. Her mother Ellen said they came skating last year and decided to come again since they had friends from up north in town who had never been before. "We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to show them what Florida ice skating was like," she said. [KATHLEEN FLYNN, Times] ... Read more
