A Chelsea Veteran Remembers His Fellow Marines

EDITORS NOTE:  This article is part of a series of profiles honoring veterans during November.

Sitting at his kitchen table, 19 years on from when he was a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq, Tim Lang said one of the important things he takes from that time is a sense of responsibility, to those he served with and who paid the ultimate price. The war left him with significant injuries, but it also led him down a path to recovery and making a life for himself and his family.

He said his motivation has been to those he served with and honoring them by living life to the best of his ability.

“I do carry a sense of responsibility for them,” Lang said in thinking about this Veterans Day.

Living now in Chelsea with his wife and two children, Lang’s life is far away from the streets of Fallujah. Whether he coaching his son’s flag football team, spending time with family or going to work, he’s reminded every day he’s in a new chapter in his life. However, he’s also reminded each day about the sacrifices many have made for their country.

Lang joined the Marines in 2005. A big motivator for him was the desire to serve his country in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Growing up in the Spring Arbor/Jackson area, Lang remembers watching the planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. This event and what it meant to the U.S. played a big part in motivating him.

He would go on to become an Infantryman in the 1st Battalion 24th Marines Charlie Company. He went all in on serving his country. It wasn’t long into his time in the Marines that he found himself deployed right into the heart of the war, on the streets of Fallujah, Iraq.

The fateful day came for him on October 15, 2006. While out on patrol looking and manning the gun turret on an armored Humvee, Lang remembers when the explosion hit their vehicle. He was on patrol with four other Marines when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was detonated under their Humvee.

The explosion sent him flying and their damaged vehicle overturning. He landed with injuries to his body, including one leg. However, he was still able to crawl over to help his fellow Marines. It would turn into a very difficult day with the explosion killing two of his fellow Marines and severely injuring him and another.

His injuries were significant and led him to undergo nearly 50 surgeries. In the end, he had one leg amputated below the knee. His recovery would be a challenging time with many ups and downs. He would also ask himself why he was spared.

In thinking about that time, Lang remembers coming to the conclusion that life was precious and that humans can be resilient. He said he knows the men who died that day in Fallujah would want him to live life to the fullest. He said there’s a billboard sign on I-94 that he likes to see that says I lost my leg, but not my heart.

“It was my responsibility not to waste it,” he said remembering the Marines who died that day, Brock Babb and Josh Hines.

On this Veterans Day he remembers those he served with and how they sacrificed for their country, but also how their memories helped him find his way. Because of this, he said it’s his mission to give back in any way he can and to help.

“I want to set a good example and help develop the next generation,” he said.

Photo Tim Lang 1: Tim Lang during the Iraq War. Photo courtesy of Tim Lang

Photo Tim Lang 2: Tim Lang (at right) and Josh Bleill, who served in Iraq together and were both injured on that day in Fallujah. Photo courtesy of Tim Lang