Of A
HERO by Steve Gamel | photos courtesy of Tancy Turner
F
or perhaps the first and only time in his life, Rick Turner didn’t know what to do.
A military hero and Purple Heart recipient who served in Panama and Iraq between 1989 and 1993, Turner sat stunned as he read a 2012 newspaper article about a young 82nd Airborne Paratrooper named Travis Mills. Staff Sergeant Mills was defending his country when he unknowingly set his rucksack down on an improvised explosive device (IED). The bomb went off, and Travis lost all four limbs. As Turner continued to read, tears welled up in his eyes. Then came devastation, anger, and confusion. “I didn’t know how to react or what to do. I was ready to just give this kid my paycheck,” said Turner, who was a journeyman electrician at the time. “I just wanted to help.”
24 | LAKE CITIES LIVING | SEPTEMBER 2021
RICK & TANCY TURNER
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