Army Veteran Joseph Bacani Graces New Disabled Veterans Memorial in Washington

Joseph Bacani stands in front of his portrait at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. Photo Courtesy AVDLM/C.J. Heatley

Joseph Bacani likes to be alone on Veterans Day, to reflect on his time in Iraq and the friends who died there. Its still raw, even though it has been more than seven years, he says.

Now a junior at Columbias School of General Studies, Bacani was a 21-year-old Army private in March 2007, when he was shot through the pelvis by a sniper while on foot patrol in Baghdad searching for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Unable to walk because of neurological damage and suffering from post-traumatic stress, Bacani returned to the U.S. for treatment. Grueling rehabilitation for two years lay ahead. Still in a wheelchair, he was awarded a Purple Heart in a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in April 2007.

A photo taken at that ceremony of Bacani in his wheelchair is now a part of history, etched into the glass of a new memorial for disabled veterans in view of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Bacani attended the Oct. 5 dedication of the memorial on and was surprised to see that his image takes up so much of a wall. When he gave permission to use his picture, I thought I would be a face among many, he says.

Being there that day was one of the best days of my life, Bacani says, but not because of his image on the wall. I saw so many veterans, some of them amputees. I could see on their faces the feeling that they were finally being recognized.

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, on 2.4 acres within sight of the Capitol, was built with private donations to honor disabled veterans from all wars.

Bacani, who was discharged from the Army in 2009, says he went through an extremely dark period while in Fort Hood, Texas, for rehabilitation, but decided to persevere. He still has pain and his right leg is unresponsive to touch. He also has recurrent nightmares and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Five men in his platoon died in Iraq and another died after returning home. Bacani says he is always thinking of them, especially his best friend, Darrell Shipp, who was 25 when he was killed by an IED in January 2007. They never got to experience the life I have, Bacani says. My drive is to live for them.

Last spring he was a student at Irvine Valley College, a community college in Southern California, when he learned that a Columbia representative would be visiting the area and he might be eligible for admission to the School of General Studies. He met with Kari Razdow, associate director of admissions, took the General Studies admissions exam and was accepted. I never imagined going to an Ivy League university, he says.

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Army Veteran Joseph Bacani Graces New Disabled Veterans Memorial in Washington