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5 a.m. It was still dark and we were cleaning up the area. We had been throwing garbage onto a fire, getting rid of anything that could compromise operational security before heading out for the day. Then I saw the sparks flying and heard the report of the guns on the "We had just gotten up," he recalls. "It was just about Just a waste ence Pagnacco had volunâ€" teered to go. He believes in what Canada is doing. He wanted to put his skills to work â€" to make a differâ€" Waterioo soidier lucky to be home By Ray Martin Highland ada in 1999 rank of corâ€" Canadian Regiment, was attacked by a pair of Ameriâ€" can Aâ€"10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft. He and four other Canadians were seriously wounded and 25 other soldiers were Pagnacco‘s unit, Charles Company, 1st Bn., Rovyal "I couldn‘t feel my legs, I was honestly sure they were gone. My arm hurt. I didn‘t know what was happening except that we were under attack and 1 had to get to my equipment and prepare to defend myself." aircraft." The 27â€"yearâ€"old was knocked unconscious by the blast that followed. When he came to he knew he was hit. Cpl. Ryan Pagnacco stands with his fiancee Lisa Doerner Within a half hour, the Waterloo collegiate grad was airlifted to the airbase in Khandahar and then transâ€" ferred to an American miliâ€" tary hospital in Germany for further treatment. Initially, Pagnacco was assessed with medium wounds to his arms, legs and hands, but when two more wounds were discovâ€" ered in his back, his condiâ€" tion was reassessed. In the midst of the chaos that followed the attack, Pagnacco was found by his buddies who immediately accessed his wounds and started treatment. slightly wounded in the friendly fire incident. Rar Martn mOto w a Te T uT 2t ult M M 3P 2 uw w During his brief tour in Afghanistan, Pagnacco saw a country of stark contrasts, a country made up of arid "It‘s just something that happens on the battlefield and you accept it," he said. "I didn‘t want to come home. I left a lot of guys there and feel 1 should still be there with them." W,Ifih@,im%mm,hds,mwf,nirm. Cruise control, heated seats, alloy wheels, CD and more. ‘06 Jetta TDI Sw.nâ€"vnbmhdsudmnhnddwsmhudsun CD, great fuel economy. Silver/black doth St#IJD12636 ‘O7 Passat Wagon Gm,hflm,‘qgmdm.hymmfibsdmfw HMWWMWIMU ‘06 Passat V6 W,m,lmwwmdm,bdhh. Granite green/beige leather St#PA1O106 ... _ ‘05 Touareg V6 fiptronic, AWD, 240hp Â¥6. Fuily loaded incl. Luxury Plus package and Air suspension. Very low kms. Exec. Driven. Off Rood Grev/Grev lanthar SHTL1071 ¢ As the pain of his wounds subsides and Pagnacco takes his first steps along his long road to recovery, he holds no malice towards the American pilots who cut his tour of duty so short. He uses words like "fanâ€" tastic‘ and "magnificent" to describe his time in hospiâ€" tal. Pagnacco has but praise for the treatment he rec Afghanistan, at the pital in Germany at home. ‘06 Jetta 2.5 fiptronic, 150 hp engine. Air conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors. Cruise, heated seats, CD. Only 8500kms. Sil: ver/black cloth SH#HA10666 q Sale Price $24,995 Hospital and then transâ€" ferred to Kitchener‘s St. Mary‘s Hospital. He was released from hospital Sept. 18 and is currently receiving home care. ragnacco spent several days in Germany before being flown back to Canada to Toronto‘s Sunnybrook DOOR CRASHER SPECIAL ‘06 Jetta 2.5 550 Weber St N low kms. Exec. Driven. Off Road Gfey/G;;*VM S';;bvl,(;?‘;; oo $49,985 MAN_Y MORE VE_HIIC_lES TO CHOOSE FROM Volkswagen Waterloo Continued on page 12 icco has nothing se for the medical nt he received in an, at the U.S. hosâ€" sermany and here rices shown do not iné';;Je-o;p?Iict;blve devt;lér‘ St. N., Woterloo 519â€"8# email: info@ywaterloo.com w a FATF & 4 o & 64 Bm â€"884â€"7470 Drivers wanted «\Z fees & taxes ...$26,685 $43,985 $32,985 $25,985