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dave krieger
Krieger: Iraq vet's new mission on roll
By Dave Krieger
Denver Post Columnist
Posted: 03/22/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT

U.S. Army Capt. Jonathan Pruden was wheeling down the center lane of Army Canal Highway in eastern Baghdad on a summer day in 2003, doing about 55 in a doorless Humvee when his world exploded.

"I remember everything went quiet and black, and then we were seeing stuff spraying all over the windshield," Pruden recalled last week.

"And I thought, 'Oh, crap, they hit the hydraulic lines.' And then I remembered there weren't hydraulic lines there. It was arterial bleeding from my leg spraying up on the windshield."

Operation Iraqi Freedom was barely three months old. Roadside bombs were not yet one of its prominent features.

"In fact, the week before I got hit, I got ordered to take all our battalion's armored vehicles down to Kuwait and turn 'em in because combat operations were pretty much over and we were burning too much fuel," Pruden said. "It was kind of quiet in May and June. We didn't have a lot of attacks."

The headquarters company executive officer of 3-7 battalion with the Third Infantry Division, Pruden was returning from a briefing on July 1, 2003, when he became one of the first victims of an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

"We were riding with no doors at the time because they were just canvas doors and all they did was keep the heat in and keep us from shooting back very well," he said. "So we were doorless, and I actually fell out the door onto the concrete.

"And I was laying there, and I thought there was motor oil dripping all over me, and then I realized it was my blood I was laying in. So I started yelling for a tourniquet."

The Orlando Magic defeated Arkansas for the title 65 to 54. a back and forth game that featured an impressive first half from the Razorbacks. Jared Johnson started off the game with a 3-point clinic that had the Magic off balance. Jeff Glasbrenner's knifing drives and touch finishes extended the lead to 10 in the first half, He had 16 in the first half. A late charge in the first half by the Magic brought the halftime score to 33-32. The second half was back and forth. Orlando went with a 2-man press on Glasbrenner to attempt to remove him from the Arkansas offense. A full court pass from Jeremy Day to Jerry Mitchell was huge down the stretch and key buckets from Van Beek and Jeremy Campbell stretched the lead to 10 with only minutes to play. An exciting final between two talented teams, in front of a huge NWBA crowd. Hats off to both teams.

Game Stats:
Orlando:
Campbell 13pts, Schulte 13pts, Day 15pts, Mitchell 12pts, and Van Beek 10pts.

Arkansas:
Glasbrenner 25pts, Tew 4pts, Walker 8pts, Johnson 9pts, Gould 4pts.

MVP of the Game was Jeremy Campbell

An exciting game that came right down to the wire. Clutch free throw shooting sealed the victory. Arkansas advances to the final against Orlando.

The Dallas Wheelchair Mavericks and the Orlando Magic Wheels have met a number of times this season and every game has been an exciting one. Today was no exception. William Hernandez started off the game hot as Dallas looked to establish their offense. Orlando seemed to be firing on all cylinders though and stretched to a 9 point first half lead. Dallas battled back and was able to keep it to 4 at the half. The second half was neck and neck until about 4 minutes. Good Free throw shooting by Orlando kept the Mavericks at bay and Orlando was the victor 63-56. Jason Van Beek lead the Magic with 21pts, Steve Welch topped the Mavericks with 16 pts. Orlando advances to the final tomorrow at 6:00pm