Colin Pascik MONROE — U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Colin Pascik faced a long road to recovery after losing both of his legs while serving in Afghanistan, but it was one he did not have to walk alone.
The Monroe native, who recently paid a visit to the Monroe Township Middle School to talk about his experiences, was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2010. It was part of his life plan, according to the website dedicated to the veteran, www.colinpascik.org.
Only a month later, however, all his plans were thrown by the wayside when, after clearing out a Taliban stronghold that was laden with homemade land mines, he was assigned as a point man, and his platoon was sent to do further reconnaissance. En route to an observation point, Pascik stepped on an improvised explosive device, and in the ensuing explosion, he lost his legs below the knee, as well as some of his hearing.
After the injury, Pascik was honored with a Purple Heart and was sent to Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for recovery and rehabilitation, then to the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Through it all, he managed to come home to Monroe on some weekends.
In the early stages of his recovery, he had as many as three operations a week for three consecutive months.
Despite his suffering, Pascik was heartened by support from his hometown and beyond.
When Monroe Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 262 heard about Pascik, members rose to the challenge, setting up the Colin Pascik Road to Recovery Fund to help family members travel to the hospital to visit him, along with assisting with other expenses related to his injuries.
Perhaps the largest project undertaken by the VFW Post was the remodeling of the family’s residence in Monroe to accommodate Pascik’s needs.
Others reached out to help, too. Golf outings, dinners, breakfasts, a comedy performance and even a beard-growing contest all dedicated proceeds to helping the hometown hero recuperate. The township’s Dey Farm donated monies gleaned from visiting bus tours to Pascik’s cause, as well.
According to Jerome Setzer, a member of VFW Post 262 who helped spearhead the home remodel for Pascik, the Marine is nothing if not resilient. Only a year after his life-changing injury, Pascik was not only in good spirits and walking well with his prosthetic legs, but also had gone skydiving, Setzer said.