Paralyzed vet implores senators to oppose troop buildup

Tomas Young rolled into the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee on Thursday and blasted the war that put him in a wheelchair.

A veteran of the war in Iraq, Young voiced support for a Kansas Senate resolution opposing the escalation in troops recently ordered by President Bush.

"I don't want any more mothers have sons that ended up where I am today," he said.

Young, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., remembers watching Bush speak soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I called my recruiter after hearing Bush say he was going to smoke the evildoers out of their caves," he said.

So he joined because he thought the war in Afghanistan was justified, he said. He said he never thought the United States should enter Iraq, but "I signed up, and I did what I was told."

Young, 27, was with the 1st Calvary Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. In Iraq for only four days, he was lying in an Army truck bed as it rolled through Sadr City. The truck was ambushed, and an insurgent with an AK-47 on a nearby roof sprayed bullets down on the soldiers.

One of those sliced through Young between his T3 and T4 vertebrae. It left him paralyzed from the chest down.

For the past two years he has gone around the country speaking at anti-war rallies and giving talks at schools. Thursday was his first appearance before a state Legislature.

Sen. Donald Betts, D-Wichita, introduced last week the measure similar to resolutions currently being debated in the U.S. House and Senate.

The Kansas version states it isn't in the country's best interest to send more troops. Bush has said he plans on putting another 20,000 soldiers into Iraq to try and quell rising violence.

Before speaking, Betts passed out a 50-page packet with the names of all of the U.S. troops who have died in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Kris Kobach,, the newly elected chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, said the resolution was inappropriate. He said Betts wants to deny needed reinforcements to the troops.

"He evidently thinks the Kansas Senate should be determining U.S. military policy," Kobach said. "Democrats in the state Senate should try to stay focused on the issues over which they have some control."

Betts said he has heard that argument, and he addressed the issue in his testimony.

"I say we have a republic where all issues are the people's issues, and there are some that require the attention of every level of government, from township water boards to the Congress of the United States," he said.

Committee members listened intently to Young's story, after which Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, thanked him for his testimony and sacrifice.

Out in the hall, Young said his brother, Nathan, is going to be deployed for the second time later this year.

"I try not to think about it too much," he said. "I talk to him, but he thinks he's 10 feet tall and can walk through bullets."

Young shrugged his shoulders when asked about his testimony's impact.

"I don't know if it's going to make any difference, but I certainly hope it does," he said.

James Carlson can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or james.carlson@cjonline.com.