by Arthur McQueen

 
        LANDSTUHL, Germany (Army News Service, June 29, 2001)
-- A soldier who lost his right foot after stepping on a
landmine in Kosovo this week was presented the Purple Heart
today by Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, U.S. Army Europe commanding
general.
        Sgt. Richard Casini, from C Troop, 1st Cavalry, was on
patrol in a heavily forested region near the Macedonian border
on June 25 when he stepped on a mine.  He is currently being
treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
        "You've impressed everybody with your attitude, your
military skills, and how you handled yourself," said Meigs, who
also presented Casini with two commander's coins.
        Before leaving, Meigs ensured Casini had contacted his
parents, and asked whether there was anything he could do for
the soldier.
        Casini's unit is the Brigade Reconnaissance Troop of the
1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga. A
reconnaissance scout, Casini was on a patrol outside the town of
Basici in southeastern Kosovo, as part of KFOR's ongoing effort
to disrupt the flow of weapons from Kosovo into the Former
Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, officials said.
        "We were locating possible smuggling routes," Casini
said. "It was a large minefield we were about to walk into.
Later we found out there were a lot of small personnel mines
scattered in between us. You couldn't see them."
         "I knew what happened, I didn't want to look at it,"
Casini said.
        Pfc. Joshua Beavers, Casini's radio transmitter
operator, immediately called back for medical evacuation.  "He
did what he was supposed to do, he called back without me
telling him.  He told me it was going to be OK ... . ," Casini
said.
        Casini remained in control awaiting the air rescue,
applying a tourniquet to his leg with his belt.
        A 50th Medical Company MEDEVAC crew used a "jungle
penetrator" hoist to lift the  injured soldier from the wooded,
mountainous terrain. Casini was moved to Camp Bondsteel where he
underwent surgery to remove his right foot.
         Deputy commander for Multinational Brigade East in
Kosovo, Col. Vincent Brooks, said Casini's injury was symbolic
of the dangers U.S. troops continue to face in the region.
        "Sgt. Casini has been courageous throughout the ordeal
and we are extremely thankful that he is alive and recovering
well," Brooks said. "This incident reminds us of the hazards our
soldiers face here in Kosovo as they perform their mission."
        From Landstuhl, Casini is scheduled to go to Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for additional
treatment.
        (Editor's note: Arthur McQueen is a member of the U.S.
Army Europe Public Affairs Office.)

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