Second chances

A few years ago, Will Cutburth received a second chance at life, and now he's taking advantage of it.

The 28-year-old Paola resident, who suffered a life-threatening and career-ending injury while serving in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War, now has his life back on track as he pursues an associate degree through classes he is taking at the Fort Scott Community College Miami County Campus in Paola.

"I'm lucky to be alive," Cutburth said.

Just a few years ago, Cutburth didn't have as much control over his life as he does now.

On Jan. 9, 2005, Cutburth's right carotid artery was severed when an improvised explosive device (IED) blast occurred during a routine patrol he and other members of his troop were making just outside of Fallujah, Iraq, where a U.S. military operation was taking place at the time to secure the area. The IED exploded on the road the soldiers were traveling on, knocking him completely out of the military vehicle he and his fellow soldiers were riding in, Cutburth said.

"The blast just picked me up and threw me out of the Humvee," he said. "I looked down and saw that I was bleeding, but I couldn't talk. The driver saw me and immediately came over and applied pressure, using a standard field dressing. Then I passed out."

Cutburth said he doesn't remember much after that. He was quickly taken to a nearby facility to receive medical attention, where doctors placed him in a drug-induced coma, a process that helps patients recover from potentially life-threatening conditions. He remained in a state of unconsciousness for three days. As was typical practice for seriously injured U.S. soldiers at the time, Cutburth was later flown to a hospital in Germany, where he underwent surgery to repair the severed artery.

After waking up in a hospital bed and being told that his military career was over, Cutburth said he knew one chapter of his life had ended, but that another one was beginning.

"I felt sort of relief because I didn't really want to go to Iraq in the first place," Cutburth said when asked how he felt about seeing his military career come to an end. "Now, any time I hear loud noises, I want to jump under objects, because that's what I'm used to. I still have nightmares from all the things I've experienced."

Long before his military career and eventual return to college, Cutburth grew up in Paola and later graduated from Paola High School. He attended Fort Hays State on a baseball scholarship, but realized while taking classes there that college life was not what he wanted at the time.

"I spent more time out of class than being in class, and I worked a lot of menial minimum-wage jobs," he said. "So now I guess I'm trying to make up for past experiences."

Cutburth said he joined the U.S. Army mainly because his dad had once served, and because he had needed to find a career path. In 2001, about six months to a year after his time at Fort Hays State, Cutburth officially enlisted in the U.S. Army. From 2002 to 2004, he was stationed in Korea. In 2004, he took a leave of absence and was shipped along with the rest of his unit to Iraq that year. He served in Iraq until his injury in 2005.

Cutburth, who is now medically inactive and no longer able to return to active duty, said he chose to attend FSCC after his military career primarily because of positive memories he has of the college.

"I took some FSCC classes while I was in high school," he said. "It was a small classroom with helpful teachers who care. They cared about why you were there, and therefore took better care of you as a student, and that's very refreshing."

Cutburth, who is married, said he plans to earn an associate degree at FSCC, and then complete a degree in accounting at the Emporia State University Overland Park campus. He has received the Purple Heart, a U.S. military decoration for soldiers who are wounded or killed during their service, and the Bronze Star, another decoration that is awarded to soldiers for acts of bravery or merit.