WASAUKEE (NBC26) — The family of a Wausaukee marine who was injured in Afghanistan have started a gofundme for his recovery. 20-year-old Lance Corpral Michael Gretzon was one of the U.S marines injured in the suicide bombing attack at Kabul airport on August 26th.
"When you hear the news and things going on in the world you stop, listen, you go on with your day. But when you have somebody in the military and you hear something like that you just freeze until you hear how they are,” said Michael's aunt Nicole Hood.
Michael's family says he knew he wanted to join the military from the time he was a child. Hood says he’s always had a passion for public service.
“He’s always had a good sense of humor. He’s worked hard at everything that he’s done. He also wants to be a firefighter or police officer after this,” Hood said.
Michael graduated from Wausaukee High School in 2019. His senior year he enlisted in the U.S Marines.
He graduated MCRD training in January 2020 in San Diego. He then completed MOS training as an infantry/rifleman in May of 2020 and joined the fleet at Camp Pendleton where he stayed due to COVID guidelines until he was deployed to Afghanistan in spring of 2021.
"As a military family, you know that’s part of what could be but you hope that they never need to be deployed. Obviously we were worried,” Hood said.
Hood says the family was immediately worried for Michael's safety when they heard about the attack the morning of August 26th. Later that evening, his family finally heard from him.
"His first message he was able to get his mom and his wife was that he was involved, injured, but alive,” Hood said.
Michael had suffered extensive injuries as a result of the blast. He was just ten feet away from the bomb when it went off.
"He got shrapnel to his left shoulder and upper arm. They didn’t want to remove it in fear of doing further damage," Hood said. "Then he had two blown eardrums. He had a traumatic brain injury from the sheer force of the bomb."
Despite his injuries, his family is thankful to have him alive. Hood says many of the 13 U.S service members who lost their lives that day were friends of Michael’s.
“As soon as they graduated their basic, COVID hit. So they were kind of stuck," Hood said. "Usually you would be sent to bases but he ended up spending the next year with all these guys so they became extremely close.”
As Michael recovers at a Naval Base hospital in San Diego, his family is still unsure what his path to recovery will look like. After receiving an outpour of support and donations from their community, the family started Michael's gofundme.
"The biggest response has been from our hometown. People will say things about small towns but in the event of something like this they really do come together," Hood said. "The whole town is behind him and everybody’s pulling for him to get better and be able to come home either when he’s medically released or when his tour is up."
