Local Marine severely wounded in Iraq (Corey Smith)

A Luna Pier Marine, a young man who knew at an early age that he would serve his country, was wounded Monday in a mortar attack in Iraq and lost a leg.

Lance Cpl. Corey Smith, 19, is in critical but stable condition and is expected to be shipped to Germany, said his mother, Renee Smith.

"We don't know how bad it is," Mrs. Smith said. "As a mom I'm hurting because my son is hurting. At the same time I'm grateful he's alive and he's okay."

Mrs. Smith said she does not know which leg was amputated or how much was lost. She believes her son suffered other injuries in the attack but military officials reported only that his condition has stabilized.

"We just have to put our trust in God," Mrs. Smith said. "The hardest thing right now is to go on with everyday life."

Lance Cpl. Smith has been in Iraq for about a month. His platoon was on patrol outside Ramadi when it was attacked with mortars. Mrs. Smith said she was not told anything else, including if any others in his platoon were injured.

Read the rest at the Monroe News

Related Link:
Marine severely injured in Iraq wants to stay in service

Note: Due to problems with blogger we were unable to post news of the wounded for the last 10 days. This post is part of the update from that period.