The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Local police rally to help Marine
Benefit dinner Jan. 21 will include silent auction to aid family
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 11, 2007
After surviving the blast of an improvised explosive device in Iraq, Marine Cpl. John Lockwood is getting better and his spirits are high.
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He still has a long road to travel toward full recovery, however, said his wife Lisa, who is with Lockwood at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md
Lockwood, a 1998 Saline High School graduate, was injured Nov. 19 in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee in which he was traveling. The driver of the vehicle, Lance Cpl. Jeremy Shock, 22, of Tiffin, Ohio, was killed. Lockwood's injuries were extensive and he has spent the past months at the Bethesda hospital undergoing physical therapy and numerous surgeries.
On Tuesday, the Lockwoods were taken to Tampa, Fla., where the young Marine will spend three to four weeks at a rehabilitation center before traveling back to Bethesda for another surgery in early February.
"He's doing really well," said Lisa Lockwood. "His physical therapy is going very well and he's in excellent spirits."
She said her husband was well-liked among hospital staff.
"He's the favorite of all the nurses and doctors at the hospital," she said. "They came and gave him hugs and kisses before leaving. Everyone's looking forward to us coming back to Bethesda, but we're anxious to get down to Tampa for some more definitive rehab."
Lisa Lockwood has been in Bethesda with her husband since Thanksgiving Day, when she and her in-laws, Roger and Ruth Lockwood, left to await John's arrival from a hospital in Germany where he had been evacuated after being injured.
Lockwood, 26, joined the Marine Reserves after graduating from Eastern Michigan University and the police academy, which is where he met his future wife. The couple will celebrate their second wedding anniversary in March.
Lockwood is a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy and a former part-time officer with the Saline Police Department. He was with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department for less than a year before his reserve unit, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, was activated in June. He spent three months training in California and shipped out to Iraq Sept. 15.
Lockwood's fellow law enforcement officers have rallied to his cause. During the Saline Holiday Parade, officers sold 50/50 raffle tickets to raise money for the Lockwoods and talked of organizing a benefit dinner.
They turned the talk into action, and plans are now in place to hold a benefit spaghetti dinner for Lockwood from noon to 6 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Washtenaw County Farm Council Grounds. The event will include an auction and a raffle. Tickets are $10, and children 5 and younger eat for free.
Tickets are available at the Saline and Milan Police Departments and the Milan Public Library.
More fund-raising events are on the horizon for the family, said Washtenaw County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Armstrong.
"This event will be the first of a series," he said. "We don't want this to be a flash in the pan. We don't just want to present (the Lockwoods) a check and say 'here.' This is about a long-term commitment."
Armstrong said there were plans for a fund-raiser in the spring and possibly a golf outing.
Armstrong and Saline Police Sgt. Jay Basso have headed up organizing the dinner and auction, but have drawn on a range of local support.
"Assistance from area service organizations such as the American Legion, the VFW, the Michigan Marine Corps League and the VVA have been invaluable," Basso said.
Auction items, which are still pouring in, include signed jerseys from Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and Tiger second baseman Placido Polanco; a World Series game ball autographed by pitcher Nate Robertson; a 5,000-watt generator; and a wood-burning grill.
Basso and Armstrong have made a lot of phone calls and the response, they said, has been amazing.
"I can't think of a better cause to do something like this for," Armstrong said.
For more information, contact Basso at 429-7911, ext. 107, or Armstrong at 260-9845.
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