Seriously injured in Afghanistan, Cody Williams of Brownwood is already making a better recovery than expected although his dad states that he still has a long way to go. Cody is a Hospital Medic First Class Petty Officer in the US Navy, serving in his third deployment overseas.
According to Cloy Williams, Cody’s father, he was injured at 5:50am Afghanistan time Tuesday while traveling in a Humvee when it was hit by an IED. The vehicle was the 7th of a line of 20 caravanning. For treatment of his injuries and observation, Cody was flown to a military hospital in Germany and is currently waiting to be transferred to Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California.
“From the first notice we received of his injury to now, we are receiving some excellent reports on his condition,” said Cloy Williams. “Cody was initially listed as seriously injured and we were told he may lose his legs, not walk or be a paraplegic from the injuries. But today, we received news that he is able to feel his fingers and toes. This was the best news that I could have gotten.”
Mr. Williams stated that he is thankful that Cody’s injuries are not worse.
“Cody has no internal organ injuries; luckily the shrapnel didn’t cause any arterial damage or eye damage, as he was hit from the back, causing injuries to his back and the back of his legs. His arms, face and front are all fine,” said Mr. Williams. “He had lost his hearing initially but it’s come back and he has no brain injury. He’s going to make a fine recovery and he deserves to. He’s done some great, amazing work over there.”
Mr. Williams credits improvements to the military vehicles for saving Cody’s life, such as thicker metal on the bottom of the vehicles to protect in attacks such as this IED explosion. He stated that he had not seen any pictures but was told that the Humvee was split in half by the impact of the explosion.
Information about the initial injury and updates have been coming to the family rather quickly and have helped them to deal with the worry and anxiety caused by Cody’s situation, Mr. Williams said.
The family is optimistic and very thankful that Cody survived the attack.
“They (Navy officials) didn’t come to my door, so I knew he was alive. I’m thankful that he is out of there so I don’t have to worry now,” said Mr. Williams. “My son is injured physically, but there are so many more that come home with no visible injuries, but they are suffering just as much as my son. I want people to keep the whole unit in their prayers, all of them, and all the others that are still over there. They need prayer too. When one is injured, they are all injured; they worry about their brother and have so much to deal with there.”
Mr. Williams further explained, “We went from not knowing if he was alive to now knowing that he is making leaps and bounds in his recovery. He has more back surgeries to undergo, but he is doing better and is strong.”
The Williams moved to Brownwood in 1999 from east Texas and all three of their children graduated from Brownwood High School. Their older son was also in the Navy and they have a daughter. Cody and his wife are currently residing in San Diego where he is stationed.
Cody’s parents will be leaving for San Diego tomorrow to be with Cody, and they said that they regret not being able to answer everyone’s questions about how Cody is doing. They wanted to express their thanks to the community for all the heartfelt wishes and prayer.
“We want everyone to know how much we appreciate everyone and how we enjoy hearing of the prayers for Cody,” said Mr. Williams.
As information is released regarding Cody’s recovery, updates will be forthcoming.
Cody Williams is pictured above, photo contributed.