Published: October 09, 2007 11:17 pm         

Ellington returns ‘home’ to visit Marine unit

By Lance Cpl. Jessica N. Aranda

MCAS Miramar



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – On the morning of Sept. 24, Lt. Col. Daniel Ermer, the commanding officer of Marine Wing Support Squadron 373, held a formation to talk to his Marines about perseverance.

After reading a few quotes, Ermer introduced a surprise guest speaker, Sgt. William Ellington, a two-time Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran, who was injured in Iraq while serving as a radio operator with MWSS-373 in 2006.

“The feeling was electrifying,” said Sgt. Maj. Wallington Sims, the sergeant major of the squadron. “You could feel the change in atmosphere when one of our own returned home.”

Ellington, a native of Royse City, suffered injuries during an incident that occurred Dec. 11, 2006. After responding to an explosive ordnance disposal call, the sergeant’s vehicle was blasted by a roadside bomb, only three miles outside the base.

Never losing consciousness, Ellington saw the flash of the explosion and heard the boom as the roadside bomb went off.

Seconds later, he rolled and attempted to extinguish the flames engulfing him. Another Marine grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the flames while corpsmen began administering treatment to the wounded.

Ellington suffered 64 percent burns to the left and right sides of his body, which caused severe nerve damage.

Medical personnel transported Ellington to Al’ Taqaddum, Iraq, where he received treatment until moving to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Facility in Germany. There, the wounded Marine was listed in critical condition for two days after his lungs and kidneys began failing.

“On the date of the accident, I weighed 220 pounds of muscle. Six weeks later, I was down to 137 pounds,” said Ellington. “Now I’m back to 190.”

Ellington was sent to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he’ll reside until completing his recovery.

Ellington relearned to walk in four weeks and attends physical therapy five days per week. Each session lasts approximately three and a half hours. Initially, doctors estimated recovery time at two years. Recently, they shortened it to 16 months.

“I have always wanted to be a Marine and my injuries haven’t changed that perspective,” said Ellington. “In fact, it’s made me want it even more.”

In 10 months, Ellington has had nine surgeries to repair his skin and expects to have four to six more.

“We planned this trip for him and his recovery, but in turn, it uplifted all of us,” said Ermer.

Ellington spent one week with the squadron, before returning to his wife and son in San Antonio. From his home in San Antonio, he keeps in touch with the squadron.

The sergeant major of the air station, Sgt. Maj. Doneil Yarn, and the command of MWSS-373 also visited Ellington in May to formally award him a Purple Heart.

“We train together, we fight together and in some cases we heal together,” said Ermer. “It is a responsibility to take care of our own and I want Marines to know that.”