John Kriesel shares that life is good despite adversity
Tue, 11/22/2016 - 12:06pm
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By:
Sydnie Gunderson and Marie Johnson
The Red Lake County Central Elementary and High School were invited to the Red Lake Falls High School for the Veterans Day program. Guest speaker was John Kriesel from Cottage Grove, MN who joined the Army National Guard at age 17. He served his term but knew in the fall of 2004 there was an upcoming deployment to Iraq in the next year. In order to go on that deployment he would need to reenlist and sign a waiver to go to Iraq for no less than 360 days.
In the beginning of 2006, he was sent to Kuwait. On April 8, 2006 they went to Fallujah, Iraq which is a Marine Corp Naval Base but they were part of the Army National Guard. In the middle of the night on December 2, 2006 they were hiding in cattails watching a suspicious intersection to see what was happening until morning came. He and four other volunteers got the call of more suspicious activity, reporting back to their vehicles to check it out. Kriesel was operating the radio in the second vehicle calling in their coordinates when they drove over a hidden bomb.
Kriesel heard a loud unusual noise as they drove over it and remembers waking up on the ground and seeing the Humvee completely destroyed after driving over 200 pounds of explosives buried underground, thinking he wasn’t going to survive. As the helicopter was on its way, some of the guys from the first vehicle were making sure Kriesel stayed awake. They slapped him in the face saying “stay awake” and he was thinking “I survived a bomb and now my friends are trying to kill me!”
The helicopter landed with a medic and he was loaded on a backboard into the helicopter. He eventually was brought to the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. in medical induced coma for eight days. When he woke up he could recognize his wife, but couldn’t remember her name. Both of his legs had part of them amputated. When Kriesel asked about other friends he was told some made it, others didn’t.
Kriesel said that his favorite thing about the military was “you serve with the best friends you’ll ever have.” He also said that the military can prepare you for anything in life and he realized how fortunate he was to live. Kriesel stated that he got a second chance of life and to make the best of every day moving forward.
In conclusion Kriesel said he is happier than he has ever been and to make the best of your life. He told the audience, “You are never to cool to tell your parents I love you.” He also said to do the same for your friends. Every night he goes to bed with a smile on his face and knows life is good. He encourages people to look at the bright side of life. Kriesel realizes he “wakes up in the greatest country of the world and it is worth fighting for.”