Jun 21, 2007 6:30 pm US/Mountain
Colorado Military Groups Donate To Wounded Soldier
Keil, Wife Put Money Into Trust
by Jim Benemann
DENVER (CBS4) ―
The bullet that changed Matt Keil's life forever came out of nowhere.
"I wasn't expecting it," says Keil from his bed at Craig Hospital.
The bullet severed his spinal cord and left Staff Sgt. Matthew Keil a quadriplegic.
"I knew I was instantly paralyzed when they were working on me getting me patched up," he said. "I was telling them 'I can't move my arms.'"
But now, during his rehabilitation, there is something else Keil never expected-- the generosity of strangers.
Recently, Leo Pacheco stopped by Keil's room. Watching one of our stories, Pacheco had seen Keil's friends from Fort Carson visit him. During that visit, Keil was more worried about his colleagues' health than he was about his own.
"He was checking to make sure they were ok and they're perfectly fine, said Pacheco."And I just thought that is truly the heart of a hero."
Pacheco runs the Beacon of Hope Outreach Center, a Colorado non-profit helping military families across the country. During his visit to Keil's room, he brought with him a check for $5,000 to help Keil with long term expenses. And Pacheco promised he would be back to continue to support the young couple.
Keil and his wife, Tracy, are also the first to receive a donation from American Military Family's new Colorado license plates. Colorado residents can exchange their plates for these Support the Troops license plates. The program starts July 1.
People can go to American Military Family's Web site and make a $25 donation now to pre-order the plates. The money helps out active duty, reserve and veterans in need of financial assistance because of their military service.
Tom Tarver said giving Matt the first donation from the new plates was an easy choice.
"Here is a great kid, a great warrior," said Tarver. "The guy was out doing his duty for the country and he's paid a sacrifice for that."
Matt and Tracy Keil are putting all the donations they receive into a trust. They plan to keep the money set aside for unexpected expenses they will have as Matt continues to recover. Tracy does not want to touch the money.
"If anything would ever happen to me," Tracy says, stroking Matt's hand. "Matt would always have that for whatever he needed."
The couple knows they will receive retirement benefits from the Veterans Administration. But 4 months after Matt was wounded, they are still trying to navigate the military's elaborate bureaucracy to even apply for those benefits. They don't blame the military, they say, because they know so many people are coming back injured.
"I'm not any more important than anyone else who has been injured over there," Matt Keil said.
Additional Resources
- To donate to Matt and Tracy, make checks payable to "Matthew Keil Supplemental Care Trust" and mail directly to Members Trust Company in Denver. Members Trust Company, Western Division, 6875 E. Evans Ave., #200, Denver, CO 80224, 720-482-2501.
- To get a 'Support the Troops' Colorado license plate, visit www.americanmilitaryfamily.org.
- Beacon of Hope Outreach Center.
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
