War vets have many lessons for Texans

Richard Justice:

From the moment Gary Kubiak met the injured soldiers, he knew words like hero and courage and teamwork would never have the same meaning.

"These guys are so special," he said, his voice trailing off.

The Texans coach was searching for the right word, even though he knew there wasn't one.

"They're incredible men," he said. "They've taught me so much. To see what they've gone through and to hear them speak is a reminder of how lucky we are."

On this Thanksgiving Day, this column isn't about football or sports, at least not in the usual sense. Sure, it's about many of the things football coaches talk about, but it's about other things, too.

It's about sacrifice and trust and attitude. It's about the things that make teams — and countries like ours — strong. Paul Brondhaver and Rick Yarosh are a reminder that the games we care so much about aren't all that important.

These amazing men are heroes in every sense of the word. Kubiak met them last summer when they were brought to Houston by a group called Impact A Hero.

"Basically, I wanted to come up with a way for these men and women to understand how much we appreciated what they'd done for us," said Dick Lynch, the organization's founder.

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"I told them I was going to have them come speak to the football team," Kubiak said. "I didn't know what our players would get out of it. I just wanted them to get a chance to meet them."

Two weeks ago, it happened. On the final practice of the team's week off, Yarosh and Brondhaver spoke to the Texans.

One part of Kubiak, the part that coaches the Texans, wanted his players to hear the lessons of teamwork and trusting one another. That's the part they just might be able to use somewhere down the line on the football field.

Another part of him, the part that considers himself lucky to live in the United States of America, simply wanted his players to meet these two amazing men.

Both suffered horrific injuries while serving in Iraq. Both lost friends. Both returned home to a world, to goals and dreams, that are changed forever. Yet they somehow grew stronger, more thankful for their country, more appreciative of their
lives.

"You can overcome anything," Yarosh said. "Family is the most important thing. I was in a hospital for six months. I didn't walk for 10. I can't use my hands. I've had a bunch of surgeries and will have more. I still consider myself lucky. I'm here. There's no better thing in life than to have life."

Yarosh suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body, including his face, when an improvised explosive device blew up beneath his Bradley Fighting Vehicle 18 months ago. He has undergone surgical procedures on his lips, eyes and hands. He is just 25 years old, faces years of rehabilitation, and knows he'll never come close to living the life he once envisioned for himself.

"I've found out how much people care," he said. "Someone approaches me every day and tells me they appreciate what I've done. Just this week, a soldier in San Antonio came up to me with tears in his eyes."

Brondhaver delivered mail to soldiers and transported supplies in Iraq. In his spare time, he collected shoes and socks for Iraqi children. He believed he was contributing what he could to rebuild a country.

His vehicle was hit by a grenade in 2004. He lost his right leg and suffered brain contusions, burst eardrums and a cracked pelvis. Doctors counted more than 300 shrapnel wounds, many of the pieces still in his body.

After the attack, Brondhaver continued to direct the Army's 216th Combat Engineer Battalion until being taken away for treatment. He's 39 now and reunited with his wife and three children in Cincinnati, spending his days working with inner-city kids.

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There is much more including the team reaction to these heroes. They are a reminder of the many things we have to be thankful for and some of the people to whom we owe thanks.