Thomas Block is a sergeant in the 75th Ranger Regiment of the U.S. Army's Third Battalion. He was in headquarters at Fort Benning, Ga., this week, getting some paperwork finished before flying home to Minnesota for the weekend.
"Give me a few seconds to walk outside and take the call,'' Block said.
That's all it took, a few seconds, which was long-distance evidence of the amazing progress Sgt. Block has made since taking the blast of a suicide bomber last Oct. 5 while on a search for insurgents in Afghanistan.
Block is from Waseca. He wrestled as a 197-pound starter for the powerful Minnesota State Mankato program. It was mentioned to Block that wrestling is a sport that's all work and no fun.
"It was fun for me,'' he said. "I've always enjoyed the competition of fighting.''
Block started Ranger training in 2010. Last October, a woman wearing a burka exploded a suicide bomb as Block was about to search a male suspect.
The detonation sent Block 35 feet in the air. The right side of his face was badly damaged. His legs were battered to the point that he had to teach himself to walk again. There were other injuries, and frequent surgeries.
The most grievous of the injuries was the loss of his right eye. The ocular prosthesis has created quite a conversation piece.
