Mike Hert (right) served as Adam Alexander’s deputy commanding officer in Afghanistan. The two lost contact after Alexander was struck in the head by a sniper round on the deployment, but they later reunited through DAV. Afghanistan veterans, DAV members reunite through service By Bryan Lett O n Nov. 10, 2011, a typical civil affairs mission turned tragic for Army Sgt. Adam Alexander, who was operating as part of the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Paktia province, Afghanistan. “Adam said he had to go because they were under attack,” said Lt. Col. Mike Hert, deputy commanding officer of the Paktia Province Reconstruction Team, who was keeping tabs on the team by conference call. “I remember Mike saying keep your head down,” Alexander recalled. It would be one of the last things he remembered before the events that changed his life forever. Twenty minutes later, Hert received the news— Alexander had been struck in the head by an armor-piercing round and was unresponsive. Insurgents had attacked his team using small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide vests during a government meeting. Alexander survived, but not without several major surgeries. “I was initially told I had a 5 percent chance of survival,” Alexander said. “Luckily, I’m not very good at math.” While Alexander was navigating an extensive and grueling rehabilitation, Hert was finishing up his deployment, and the two temporarily lost contact. After service, Hert returned to his home state of Wisconsin and settled in Oshkosh. He was an active member of DAV Chapter 17 when he heard about an opportunity to volunteer as a mentor in the new Outagamie County Veterans Treatment Court. Veterans Treatment Court is a program that provides veterans an alternative to incarceration, tailored to the unique experiences and needs of those struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues from their service. Volunteer veteran mentors lend their time and abilities to assist veterans going through treatment. “I was just sitting at my desk when I got a mass email about Veterans Treatment Court,” Hert said. “I was just looking through the names of recipients on the email when I saw the name Adam Alexander. I had to see if it was him, so I emailed the address, asking, ‘Adam, is that you?’” 16 DAV MAGAZINE JULY | AUGUST 2017
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Afghanistan veterans, DAVmembers reunite through service
Bryan Lett
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