PORTAGE | Robert Barthel's reunion with his son last week was bittersweet.
The Portage man traveled to Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego to visit his son, U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Barthel, who was injured when an improvised explosive device went off and struck the vehicle in which he was riding July 8 in Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq.
It had been a while since the elder Barthel had seen his 25-year-old son, but the circumstances lessened the joy of the reunion. The younger Barthel had spent part of his youth living in Valparaiso and Portage before moving to Sturgis, Mich., where he graduated from high school.
"The first day I saw him, we were really happy to see each other," said the elder Barthel, who returned home this past weekend after a weeklong stay in San Diego, adding that his son's spirits have been "up and down."
Sgt. Barthel lost his right foot from the injuries and also had a pin placed in his right leg due to a broken femur.
Barthel said his son was to be discharged from the hospital Wednesday and placed in Fisher House, a transitional residence on the hospital grounds. There he can stay with his wife, Elena, and three of his five sons who flew to San Diego from Hawaii, where Barthel had been stationed.
The elder Barthel said his son, who was serving his second tour in Iraq when he was injured, will be undergoing physical therapy in preparation to be fitted with a prosthesis.
Barthel said his son, who had re-upped for a third time before he left for Iraq, is uncertain about his future.
"He's not talking about the future at this point, he just wants to feel well," said Barthel, adding his son had talked about going to college before he was injured.
"My son is proud of his service and has told me, in so many words, that what we are doing over there is good for the citizens of Iraq and that they are happy we are there as well," he said. "Before I left for home, I told him that if he can survive the fighting in Iraq, he should do well in whatever he wants to do with the rest of his life despite his injury."
