Returning to Afghanistan

When doctors told Army Specialist Michael Krapels that he would never redeploy, much less walk again, he refused to accept it."I took it as a personal challenge to work at rehabilitating myself and reconditioning myself back into the shape I needed to be in to do my job," Krapels said. "After a while, the task of returning to my unit consumed me."

Krapels, 24, of Sparta, was injured on Jan. 14, 2010, when a fellow soldier's machine gun misfired, shooting Krapels in both legs while he lay in bed. Now, two years after the accident, he is prepared to return to Afghanistan with his unit this week."I wanted to return to duty and redeploy with my unit because it is my duty as a soldier," Krapels said. "I signed a five-year contract to the Army and my country. I believe that when you make a commitment, you see it through to the end."

Krapels is currently stationed in Vicenza, Italy with the Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, but his unit is scheduled to leave for Afghanistan, although Krapels is unable to discuss any other details of the pending deployment.Getting to this redeployment has been a long road for Krapels and his family. When he was first shot, he was flown to an Army hospital in Germany and then Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital in Washington D.C.