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Still in action

A sniper's bullet in Iraq made a quadraplegic out of Matt Keil, but it isn't keeping him from fighting for disabled veterans and veterans' benefits

The Rocky

Published April 10, 2008 at 11:34 a.m.
Updated April 10, 2008 at 11:34 a.m.

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Matt Keil works with occupational therapist Krista Mobley on April 9, 2008, as his wife Tracy watches at the apartment they are living in until their home is completed in Parker. Keil was shot in the neck by a sniper on February 24, 2007, while serving his second tour in Iraq. He is now quadriplegic. "This takes a huge weight off of our shoulders," Matt said of the home that is being built for them by the organization, Homes for Our Troops.

Photo by Darin McGregor © The Rocky

Matt Keil works with occupational therapist Krista Mobley on April 9, 2008, as his wife Tracy watches at the apartment they are living in until their home is completed in Parker. Keil was shot in the neck by a sniper on February 24, 2007, while serving his second tour in Iraq. He is now quadriplegic. "This takes a huge weight off of our shoulders," Matt said of the home that is being built for them by the organization, Homes for Our Troops.

Tracy Keil holds the hand of her husband Matt Keil before he testifies before a Colorado Senate committee about Sen. Suzanne Williams' proposal to Expand Existing Property Tax Exemptions including to the spouses of injured veterans at the State Capitol in Denver, Tuesday April 8, 2008.

Photo by Darin McGregor © The Rocky

Tracy Keil holds the hand of her husband Matt Keil before he testifies before a Colorado Senate committee about Sen. Suzanne Williams' proposal to Expand Existing Property Tax Exemptions including to the spouses of injured veterans at the State Capitol in Denver, Tuesday April 8, 2008.

Matt Keil can't walk, but he never stops moving forward.

A sniper's bullet in Iraq just over a year ago left the 26-year-old Army staff sergeant a quadriplegic, but that hasn't slowed down Matt or his wife, Tracy. They were married six weeks before he was wounded.

The couple now does outreach for a group that helps severely injured soldiers make the transition back into the community, and they have become advocates for paralyzed veterans and their families.

"I can't fight for my country anymore, so I'm going to fight for disabled veterans and veterans' benefits," Matt said.

On Tuesday, the Keils went to the Statehouse for a hearing on extending injured veterans' benefits to their widows.

Matt told the Senate Finance Committee about his day: how Tracy gets him out of bed, brushes his teeth, showers and dresses him, makes his meals and helps him eat. And about how his 30-year-old wife devotes herself to him, and how deserving she is of support after he is gone.

"My wife served right alongside me," Matt told the legislators. He changed some minds, though the bill didn't make it out of committee.

Custom home

On Friday, the couple will celebrate a long-anticipated milestone: the first shovelful of dirt turned on the Parker lot where their custom home will stand, hopefully by September. The house — outfitted with automatic doors, roll-in showers, extra-wide hallways and a hoist to help Matt in and out of bed — is being built by Pulte Homes and the nonprofit Homes for Our Troops.

And not a moment too soon.

"We've got medical equipment in our kitchen," Tracy said. "It won't fit through any of the doors."

Homes for Our Troops, which builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans free of charge, has already built a home in Hartsel for Marine Sgt. Chris Fesmire, who lost his legs to a land mine in Iraq. Another home gets under way soon in Golden for Army Staff Sgt. Travis Strong, who also lost both legs in an Iraq bombing.

The Keil's ranch-style home will have a large master suite separated by a great room and kitchen from two bedrooms the couple hope will be occupied by kids yet to be conceived. If they can't have their own, the Keils say, they would like to adopt a disabled child.

"We'll be able to teach our child that your physical disability doesn't have to get in the way of what you want to do in life," Matt said.

That is a message the couple spreads to other disabled veterans as outreach coordinators for the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps severely injured soldiers get back into the community through sports, education and other programs.

"A lot of these guys, their friends are still active-duty military, and it's hard for them to come around and see a double amputee or a quadriplegic," Tracy said. "So in a lot of cases, they've lost their friend base."

The Keils are building a small community of veterans and their wives who face the same kinds of challenges they do, offering them a shoulder, an ear and a helping hand.

"People look at our situation and feel sorry for us, but I think we're extremely lucky," Tracy said. "He came home, he's had a remarkable recovery and now he's able to turn around and give back to the community."

Matt said he has been getting stronger, and he is able to feed himself using his left hand.

"I can only move one arm, and I'm out doing stuff most people with disabilities wouldn't ever do, and some able-bodied people wouldn't do," he said.

That includes frequent travel across the country, no matter what the obstacles.

"He got stuck up to his ankles in snow about a week ago, and I had to dig him out," Tracy said. "We won't let anything stop us."