Sgt. Joe Fowler
Staff Sergeant Joseph Fowler went to Iraq as a dog handler. It was his job to look for explosives and to assist with door to door searches in city neighborhoods. He was assigned to the 148th Police Detachment, at Fort Carson, and attached to the 10th Mountain Division. Joe was injured in December of 2005 in Bagdad when he and his police dog were on their way to a nearby warehouse to screen election ballot boxes. Their vehicle hit a mine and burst into flames. The driver and the dog were killed instantly. Joseph and one other soldier survived.Joseph was burned over 50% of his body, and spent more than three months in the hospital. While he was deployed, Joseph's wife Leslie, gave birth to his son Shane. Joseph first saw Shane when he was 11 weeks old, when Leslie brought the baby to the hospital. To date, Joseph has had 18 surgeries. He is the recipient of a Purple Heart award.