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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_74543d37-6f1f-591c-a184-3fda10b47e65.html


The future seemed grim when a bullet blast reverberated through young Michael Frey’s neck. In an instant, the Army grunt was bleeding and couldn’t breathe.

Somebody popped a hole in his trachea and inserted a straw. A manual pump soon pushed air into his lungs.

That was 1969. Not only did the 19-year-old make it out of war-ravaged Vietnam alive, he came all the way home, near where he grew up in Florissant.

He spent the next 15 years recovering at John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital and in the spinal cord unit at Jefferson Barracks. In 1984, to the surprise of many, he moved into his own home in Hazelwood.

Frey would become one of the longest living quadriplegics of his kind also dependent upon a ventilator. He also was one of the last to die from wounds inflicted in Vietnam.

In 2014, fluid buildup became too much of an obstacle for Frey’s 64-year-old body to overcome.

“He survived a gunshot wound that should have been fatal and lived on with strength and courage that was an inspiration to everyone,” said his brother, Norman Frey, of Florissant, who also served in Southeast Asia.

Until the end, ventilators, doctors, caregivers and a fearless spirit helped keep Michael Frey alive.

Leading up to an era when suicide rates have become alarmingly high for veterans and active-duty service members, Frey offered an encouraging outlook from the seat of a wheelchair.

“So how do I manage to live life dependent on machines?” Frey wrote for a farewell ceremony from the hospital in 1984. “They’re no handicap, believe me. I get along with them just fine. It’s people I wonder about.”

And he wanted to meet more.

“I’m not looking for pity, and I’m not looking for a free ride. I’m just looking to share a little of my life. And what does poor, helpless Michael have to offer? Come closer and find out.”

A few weeks ago, Michael G. Frey was etched into the somber granite wall — bringing the total to 58,315.

Today, in a Memorial Day ceremony, his name and seven others added this year will be read aloud.
 
My husband, who was a veteran, his funeral was May 30, he died the day after Memorial Day, in 2014.

This day now means so much more to me than it has ever before.
 
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