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By Daryl K. Tabor
From the time he was a baby, he’s been
groomed for responsibility. He missed
only one day of school in 12 years. He
joined the military at 17. And he is
determined to not let his injury become
a setback.
Chase Matthews just wants things to
get back to normal. In fact, he seems
rather uncomfortable even enjoying a
birthday congratulations.
"He doesn’t like it," his father Rudy
said of the attention lavished upon his
only son.
The town of Dycusburg gathered in
Matthews’ name Saturday -- the day he turned
23 -- to not only say happy birthday, but to say
thanks for the sacrifices and pain he and his
family have endured the last six months. You
see, when Matthews stood to accept their gratitude,
he leaned on a cane to steady himself on
two prosthetic legs.
The Kentucky Army National Guard
soldier who missed his only day of public
school to enlist with his father’s
blessing at the age of 17 lost his legs
and suffered a severely damaged left
arm from a violent explosion that
ripped apart the Humvee he was driving.
The incident, which injured two
more soldiers in the Marion-based
Guard unit, occurred March 19 in
southern Iraq.
Four days later, Matthews lay in Walter
Reed Army Medical Center with Rudy and his
aunt, Barbara Ethridge, by
his side. The next five months
would involve countless doctor
visits and surgical procedures
and its share of tears,
setbacks, accomplishments
and pride.
Today, Matthews treats his
injury as more of an annoyance
because of the attention
it draws. It certainly hasn’t
slowed him down.
"He’s been on the go after
that first week back (home),"
his father said.
Sitting on his new, sporty,
yellow four wheeler, Matthews
jokes with his half-brother
Craig Stone about his new
shoe size, up to an 11 to provide
better balance for his tall,
thin frame. He then pulls up
his left pant leg to reveal an
$80,000 prosthesis that can
adjust his height, too.
"You should’ve joined the
Marines," Stone quipped to
his brother.
Stone himself is prepping
for his third tour in Iraq. He
visited Dycusburg over Labor
Day weekend from his post in
North Carolina just to spend
some time with Chase, who
shrugs off the Marine comment
with his own less-thanflattering
comment about jarheads.
Chase needs little help in
getting around. He ambles
about carefully with his cane
often off the ground. He needs
no special equipment to operate
his four-wheeler nor his
new GMC Yukon Denali.
The blast left a portion of
his right leg below the knee,
but the left leg was removed
almost to the hip. Months of
therapy have helped him
completely shed his wheelchair.
"He won’t use it," said
Ethridge.
After Rudy and Chase’s
mom, Starla Bates, separated
while he was still a baby,
Ethridge became a sort of
mother figure to her nephew.
She has remained nearby her
brother in Dycusburg, raising
three of her own children.
But Rudy and Chase never
needed much help. They
managed on their own, growing
together into what seems
more like a friendship now
than a father-son relationship,
though Rudy clearly
passed along his once red
hair and reserved, polite
nature to his son.
"He grew up with Rudy letting
him make his own decisions,"
Ethridge said.
Disabled and unable to
work due to a back injury,
Rudy was able to stay at
Walter Reed with his son during
his recovery. Most of that
time he was alone with Rudy,
save visits from doctors, nurses
and celebrities. However,
Ethridge was able to share
some of the burden with her
younger brother the first
weeks after Chase’s injury.
"The first month was critical
for Rudy," she said.
Needless to say, after a
half-century of growing up
together in Dycusburg, Rudy
and his sister grew even closer,
both emotionally and
physically.
"I said to Rudy, did you
ever think we’d be sharing a
room at this age?" she joked.
The tragedy even drew
Ethridge closer to her other
sibling, Carol Strilko who lives
in Chicago. The two talked
everyday while Ethridge was
in Washington, D.C., with
Rudy and Chase.
"She kept me going,"
Ethridge said.
Now, Ethridge finds solace
in watching Chase improve
every day. There is still one
more major surgery at Walter
Reed later this month to further
repair his injured arm.
More may follow until he is
released from Army care, but
he’s made it so far with the
same resolve that found him
in the classroom everyday.
"His doctor said he was the
most determined he’s seen,"
Ethridge said of Chase’s
orthopedist.
Saturday was special for
Chase and his family. He was
made a Kentucky Colonel by
Rep. Mike Cherry. A recreational
area and boat ramp in
Dycusburg will bear Chase’s
name. Several of his fellow
National Guard soldiers visited
for the first time since
returning home. But Ethridge
believes nothing is more
important than this: "The
main thing is, Chase is a fine
young man."
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