Army Pfc. Alex Knapp was injured when an improvised explosive device detonated under his vehicle in Iraq on March 14.

Army Pfc. Alex Knapp was on a mission in a suburb outside of Baghdad on March 14, just two days after his 22nd birthday, when the IED detonated, severely injuring Knapp and two other soldiers.

He was airlifted first to a hospital in Iraq and then to Germany, where he underwent the first of several surgeries before being transferred to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., on March 18. There he was placed in intensive care for more than seven days, much of which was spent asleep and on a ventilator. Knapp’s injuries required the amputation of both legs above the knees.

“He was the driver and the bomb blast went right under the vehicle, which put him and the two other soldiers in a very difficult position,” said Jeanette Knapp, Alex’s mother, who also has been keeping an online journal of her son’s progress and improvement.

Knapp, a 2004 graduate of Eisenhower High School, enlisted in the Army in January 2007, hoping that experience in the military police would assist him with his eventual career as a police officer.

“We’ve always been supportive of everything Alex did,” said Jeanette Knapp. “With our economy the way it is, he thought that this would be a good way to gain some experience for his future career.”

Jeanette Knapp was at home at approximately 9:35 p.m. on the evening her son was injured. Information, she said, was initially limited and military officials would only tell her that Alex had been involved in a serious incident in Iraq.

Jeanette Knapp said she will never forget the feelings that overcame her at that point.

“Horror,” she said. “I just never want to relive that. When people say the word Œgut-wrenching,’ they don’t always know what that feels like. But this was absolutely gut-wrenching.”

For more than a month, Jeanette Knapp has sat by her son’s side, keeping friends and family members updated on Alex’s progress as he’s endured several physically and emotionally draining surgeries. In addition to losing his legs, Knapp has undergone skin-grafting procedures, doctors have worked to eliminate clots in his lungs and he has been required to stay in a prone position for several days at a time to recuperate from the various surgeries.

Through it all, Jeanette Knapp said, her son has persevered and kept his mind on the need for healing.

“Alex is very determined. He’s coming around, doing well and we’re looking at this as taking more of a marathon approach, not a run, when it comes to healing,” Jeanette Knapp said. “The doctors have been really good here and our goal is to walk out of here.”

In addition to monitoring Alex Knapp’s progress online, friends and family members back home have been working to make sure that Shelby Township is properly honoring the injured soldier. On April 26 at VFW Post 4659, several friends of the Knapp family organized a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for Alex, with a pasta dinner, silent auction, raffle and more.

John Brennan, who was the assistant coach of the Eisenhower football team when Alex played for the school, said he has fond memories of the student.

“It’s just devastating to hear about something like this. He is just a great kid. Very quiet and respectful, but he was always so hardworking and everyone likes him,” Brennan said as he wrote a message on a prayer chain at the fundraiser. “I ran into some of the kids from the team yesterday at another fundraiser and it’s great to see the community pitching in like this to help him.”

Jeanette Knapp was unable to attend the fundraiser, as she was still at Walter Reed Hospital with her son. However, she said the community cooperation with the event, which attracted hundreds from throughout Macomb County, was something that took the family by surprise.

“I’ve actually been living in kind of a cocoon here with Alex, so I knew it was going on but not all the details. That was actually some very dear friends of ours who handled it,” she said. “But it’s wonderful. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s great. All of the support has been so wonderful and Alex is so grateful.”

Jeanette Knapp said the road to recovery is going to be long, and often difficult, as Alex recovers from his surgeries, endures physical therapy, and begins the long road to walking and running again on prosthetics. However, she said her son always deserved a hero’s welcome when he returned home from Iraq and that is something that will never change.

“I’m enormously proud of this young man. His entire life, I have been,” she said. “He was always my hero, even before he went away to war. And now he’s even more of a hero.”

For more information on Army Pfc. Alex Knapp and his progress, visit the family’s Web site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alexknapp1