Guardsman Shot During Training

A soldier's wife worries about the care her husband is getting or isn't getting. The Army National Guardsman was shot in the leg during training and weeks later, he still has the bullet in his

Monday, September 17th 2007, 8:25 pm

By: News On 6

A soldier's wife worries about the care her husband is getting or isn't getting. The Army National Guardsman was shot in the leg during training and weeks later, he still has the bullet in his leg. News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports that as Sergeant Joel Potts prepares to deploy to Iraq next month, his wife says he's keeping up his end of the bargain. She worries the military is not.

Robin Potts is a proud military wife and mother of two. Lately she says the military has disappointed her.

"You know, my husband, I'm very proud of him for serving his country and he's very willing to serve his country. It just really upsets me that he puts his life in their hands and they're not taking care of him," says Robin Potts.

Her husband, Sergeant Joel Potts was shot in the leg.

"They were training in a shoot house and a bullet ricocheted and went in his leg and itâ€™s been stuck in there for six weeks," says Robin Potts.

That's right, it's been in his leg for six weeks. Potts says her husband can still perform his duties without pain, but his leg is tingly and numb from his knee to his hip.

The day he was shot he went to the emergency room where doctors referred him to a surgeon. That's when, she says, the beurocracy began.

"He's went very properly up his chain of command and tried to get something done and itâ€™s taken six weeks and we still haven't even gotten a phone call to get a consultation with the surgeon to have the bullet removed," explains Potts.

All of this comes at a stressful time in the Potts' life. Robin is trying to prepare her kids and herself for Sergeant Pottsâ€™ deployment to Iraq. He's leaving next month, but Robin says its becoming more difficult to let him go as her trust in the military is dwindling.

"I feel like I'm sending him over, just like every other wife - you know I'm sending him over, in their hands, to take care of him and it doesn't look like they're going to do that. It doesn't look like they're going to take care of these guys very well," she said.

Military officials tell News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren that the soldiers are their number one concern and they'll look into the Potts' situation. We'll let you know as soon as that bullet is removed.

Watch the video: Guardsman Shot And Still Has Bullet In His Leg