European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Page 8 stars and stripes Mideast edition july 2007 i just wanted not to be people forget what a is just to walk Down the Street and not have anyone Sweet smell of life airman undergoes 40 hours of complicated surgery to reconstruct his lost regain identity by Lisa Burgess stars and stripes what would you endure not to lose the Savory smell of a plate of Barbe Cue or the powdery inno Cence of your baby neck for airman Michael regaining his sense of smell meant a yearlong medical Jour Ney after a humvee rollover that took his left Arm and most of his its meant a Long and difficult recovery at Walter and one of the most Complex nasal reconstruction surgeries Ever per formed at Johns Hopkins medi Cal Center in Fletcher is a Security specialist stationed with his Yolan at Andrews air Force base in Maryland with their two Michael and i he met Yolanda when they were stationed in and the couple married in june right before Fletcher was deployed to Camp with the 586th expeditionary Security forces on Fletcher was Manning the 240b machine gun on an Upa Mored humvee at the end of a Long patrol when the truck caught some Loose gravel in a hard i tried to pull myself Back Fletcher but Gravity is a unable to climb Back Michael was crushed by the five ton As the truck landed upside Down on its first Rota the Edge of the Hatch immediately severed Michaels left Courtesy photo with his life in danger after a humvee Accident in airman Michael Fletcher thoughts turned to the new Orleans saints and running Back Deuce Mcallis rescuers continued to talk football with Fletcher in order to keep him Only the airmans Kevlar Hel met prevented his head from being although his Skull was his palate broken and his left Eye and helmets dont cover so when Convoy members rushed to the crumpled figure on the Road and rolled him All they saw where Fletcher nose should have been was a bloody Fletcher was still and not yet feeling the massive adrenaline is the Best thing in the world when youre in Fletcher rescuers were doing their Best to hide their Shock at his appear but i could Tell they were Fletcher Fletcher was losing massive amounts of and in danger of going into Shock and cardiac a keeping the wounded airman Calm and conscious As Long As pos sible was crucial to his this is when the saints came marching to keep Fletcher one of the first responders started talking to Fletcher about and that All it Fletcher because in a football and i live and breathe the new Orleans so when he started talking about football the whole i was thinking about Deuce Cal a running Back for the he broken and Fletcher began to think about a 62yard Mcallister run that set up a touchdown in the saints 3520 Victory Over the Green Bay packers on that was a big play in the because it helped us with a touchdown we and it helped Seal the its so crazy How that one play was in my he Mcallister is travelling in the of season and was unavailable for the decision was made to put Fletcher in a truck and drive him Back to Camp where he would be airlifted directly to Kuwait for emergency bumping along in the Fletcher kept focusing relentlessly on his beloved it helped a because there was fear you Fletcher his voice you the i dont want to die Fletcher heart stopped twice in the helicopter from Bucca to on the operating table in his body refused to accept the blood doctors were Franti Cally trying to give military officials sent Fletch ers Mother and wife a notice that they dont think id be Here surviving after 20 initial he from Fletcher took a trip familiar to thousands of wounded veterans to the army Hospital at then on to Walter he remembers nothing of when everything got when i initially went and when i went out for i this must be what death feels Fletcher and right after it was blink in up at Walter but tragedy was not finished with the Fletcher while sitting at her sons bed Side in watching him hover Between life and Fletcher Mother lost her new Orleans Home to Hurricane Katri she bought a House in the Washington so she could remain close to Fletcher through his see nose on Page 9 Courtesy of Johns Hopkins  Juan puts finishing touches on a Model of airman Michael Fletcher new Garcia was one of a team of Doc tors at Johns Hopkins medical Center in Baltimore that reconstructed Fletcher nose Over the course of 40 hours of enter online at Send us a photo of yourself Reading stars and stripes for a Chance to win Cool prizes and your Hometown newspaper