Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cancer-Survivor Soldier Joins Unit in Iraq


"Face of Defense: Cancer-Survivor Soldier Joins Unit in Iraq
By Pfc. Monika K. Smith, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service


CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2008 – They call him “Tiny,” and as with many nicknames, the moniker inaccurately describes Sgt. Jared Squires’ stature. At 6 feet, 5 inches tall, the crew chief with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, more than snugly fits into the space allocated for crew chiefs in the Black Hawk helicopters he flies in.


Squires, from Los Lunas, N.M., doesn’t mind his nickname. He’s just happy to be flying again. In July 2006, Squires learned he had skin cancer. An Army surgeon estimated he had just six years to live. “When I first found out, I went to the doctor’s office and my wife went with me,” Squires said. “The doctor came and said, ‘I’m sorry to let you know you have malignant melanoma.’ I thought, ‘I’ve got two kids. I’ve got my wife.’ … I wanted to do everything I could right away, because in six years, I might not be there for my boys.” "


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