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Sgt. Kriesel thanks supporters at benefit
The city of St. Paul declared Sunday to be "John Kriesel Day," in honor of the Minnesota soldier who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq. Sgt. Kriesel was at O'Gara's in St. Paul as hundreds of friends, relatives and strangers gathered to raise money for his family. The event was dubbed the "Life is Good" benefit. "I'm a lucky guy in many, many ways," Kriesel says. You might not expect to hear that from someone who lost two legs and two friends to a single bomb, but Kriesel has an incredible perspective. "I will never look at any day the same as long as I live," Kriesel told a crowd of his supporters. "Each day I get to tuck my kids into bed and kiss them good night, and kiss my wife good night, this is a gift!" Kriesel was introduced by Governor Tim Pawlenty, who first met Kriesel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center a few months ago. "I walked into his hospital room," Pawlenty recalls. "He and I hadn't met before, and he pointed at me and said, 'I'm coming back to Minnesota and I'm going to be governor someday!'" Kriesel's squad was checking on suspicious activity near Fallujah on December 2 when their humvee hit a 200-pound explosive. The blast killed Spc. Bryan McDonough and Spc. Corey Rystad. Kriesel has been at Walter Reed since December. He started using prosthetics in mid-March and is now walking with the assistance of two canes. Two weeks ago, Kriesel returned to Minnesota for the first time since losing his legs. He'll return to Walter Reed this week to continue his therapy. He hopes to be home for good by fall. But on Sunday, he was focused on all the supporters that gathered in St. Paul. Organizers figure they sold about 3,000 tickets for the benefit. All of the money will go to the family to help them build a new house for the Kriesel family. Click here to see more stories on Sgt. Kriesel.
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