It was an autumn Sunday morning on October 15, 2006 that Lance Corporal Joshua Bleill put on his Marine combat utility uniform, laced up his boots, gathered his gear and got into one of seven Humvees caravanning in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.  As part of the continuing efforts to secure freedom for Iraqis who have suffered for decades under oppressive militant regimes, Operation Iraqi Freedom forged ahead along a rugged road about fifty miles west of Baghdad.  This mission claimed the lives of fellow Marines Sgt. Brock Babb, 40 of Evansville and Lance Cpl. Joshua Hines, 26 of Olney, Illinois when an improvised explosive devise (IED) struck their Humvee and exploded right beneath Greenfield's Joshua Bleill.  That noontime blast severely injured Joshua, taking both of his legs and all memory of the attack and its aftermath. 

Lance Cpl. Tim Lang, Joshua's good friend, who also suffered extensive injuries in that explosion, subsequently losing one of his legs as well, was there at the same German hospital when Joshua came to several days later and was able to tell the Bleill family the details of the attack as he had so vividly experienced and remembered them.

It had only been ten days since Joshua Bleill's arrival to the war torn country that he was faced with the awfulness of war. He had sensed a call of duty.  He was there so someone else would not have to be.  He remembers the first thing he did when he stepped off the plane in Kuwait was pray.  "One of my favorite Scriptures is Psalm 91.  I have read it a hundred times and it was the first verse I prayed when I stepped off the plane," Joshua said.

That Psalm of protection that Joshua prayed says, I will not be afraid of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. "My faith has been the main strength in my life and continues to push me in my recovery," Joshua shared.      The Lord is my refuge and my fortress:  my God; in Him will I trust, the Psalm proclaims.  And so does Joshua Bleill.  "I believe in God and in His son Jesus.  I believe that in His death, Jesus has covered that cost of my eternal life in heaven," Joshua stated succinctly.  
    
Joshua is a man who knows what he believes and is willing to live those beliefs out.  Those beliefs include laying down one's life for someone else, as Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Perhaps that helps explain why Joshua is so glad to be a Marine, "The best thing about being a Marine is the brotherhood.  We take care of one another; we lay our lives down for each other without thinking twice.  Marines work together, play together, laugh together, eat together and pray together.  We are a family and that bond will never be broken."

Being a Marine seems to be in his blood.  Joshua comes from a strong military background.  His father, Virgil Bleill was a Marine fighter pilot in Viet Nam.  His grandfather served and was wounded in World War 2.  Joshua had sensed the call of duty beaconing him to serve his country and with the age requirement clock steadily ticking down his days of eligibility; he had met with a Marine recruiter who recommended that he enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves.  He took his recruiter's advice.  It was around Christmastime in 2004 that Joshua called his dad aside and told him what he had done.  His father's reply was simply, "Your mother is going to kill you."  

His mother, Myra admits that is exactly how she felt.  She knew well the realities of war having experienced life on various military bases all over the place.  She knew something about the inherent dangers that lay ahead.

Now Myra Bleill's focus is on her son and his healing.  Her honest statement,  "Josh coming back to this community has really put a face on the war," echoes truth. 

Even as Joshua Bleill faces extreme challenges daily learning to walk on his new legs and adjusting to life in a different body, his same loving spirit continues to look for ways to help others in the future.  "I am interested in working for a nonprofit organization such as Give Kids the World or Make a Wish Foundation," Joshua said.

In the meantime, although he resides at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, in Washington, DC, Joshua can be found dwelling in the secret place of the Most High as he revealed at interview's end,  "I will continue to put my life in His hands."