A 23-year-old Marine from Spartanburg has sustained serious injuries to his lower body while on patrol in Iraq, his family said Monday.
It's potentially a shattering of dreams for 2nd Lt. Andrew Kinard, who had wanted to enter military service since he was a young boy.
But he's already got a lot of people pulling for him, as news has spread quickly among his family, friends and church.
"He's stable, that's all we know," said his mother, Mary Kinard. "He has been operated on, but we don't know the extent of his injuries yet."
The family is coping "as well as we can," she said.
Andrew Kinard is about six weeks into a tour that was supposed to last through April, his mother said.
Kinard and three other Marines had been on patrol in western Iraq. He either stepped on or was struck in the lower body with what's called an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, based on family accounts.
IEDs are sometimes referred to as "roadside bombs" and are typically homemade devices that include some type of explosive. They can be thrown or planted.
Harry Kinard last talked with his son on Saturday afternoon, about nine hours before Andrew was injured.
"We're desperately trying to work some channels to get some information, but they said it may be another day or so before we get another word on his condition," Harry Kinard said.
Andrew Kinard was flown to Al Asad Airfield, the largest U.S. airbase in western Iraq, for surgery. The last word the family received was that he had been transferred to a trauma center outside of Baghdad.
He suffered severe pelvic fragmentation and leg injuries, said his father, a urologist in Spartanburg. The family found out early Monday afternoon.
Andrew Kinard turns 24 next month.
He is part of the 2nd Marine Division's 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, which is based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A spokesman for the 2nd Division on Monday confirmed that the armored detachment was stationed in Iraq, but could not confirm Kinard's injuries or disclose any details of the incident that caused them. The division only releases such information in cases where a Marine is killed, Cpl. Athanasios Genos said from Camp Lejeune.
After graduating from Dorman High School, Andrew Kinard attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
He accepted a Marine Corps commission following graduation. At first he wanted to be a pilot, but eventually decided to go the infantry route.
"He's an outstanding young man," said the Rev. Seth Buckley, minister to students at First Baptist Church in Spartanburg.
"He was born to lead. But he had such humility. He had a rare combination of leadership skills but a very humble spirit. So people loved to be around him. He was really the one who exerted positive peer pressure on his friends in high school, helping them make the right decisions.
"He has an unwavering faith in the Lord, and we really think that's going to be a difference-maker right now," Buckley said.
First Baptist is planning several prayer vigils for Kinard, including one at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday as part of its student worship experience. People of all ages are welcome.
Kinard last made headlines in February 2005, when he was preparing to sing at Super Bowl XXXIX along with 25 other midshipmen at the Naval Academy.
He always set high goals and pursued them, his family said at the time.
Kinard and his comrades were prepared for the realities of war, his father said.
"It was a situation where all of them knew that something like this could happen at any moment," Harry Kinard said. "It was something that they're trained for, prepared for. They don't necessarily like it, but it's just a fact of life."
It's potentially a shattering of dreams for 2nd Lt. Andrew Kinard, who had wanted to enter military service since he was a young boy.
But he's already got a lot of people pulling for him, as news has spread quickly among his family, friends and church.
"He's stable, that's all we know," said his mother, Mary Kinard. "He has been operated on, but we don't know the extent of his injuries yet."
The family is coping "as well as we can," she said.
Andrew Kinard is about six weeks into a tour that was supposed to last through April, his mother said.
Kinard and three other Marines had been on patrol in western Iraq. He either stepped on or was struck in the lower body with what's called an Improvised Explosive Device, or IED, based on family accounts.
IEDs are sometimes referred to as "roadside bombs" and are typically homemade devices that include some type of explosive. They can be thrown or planted.
Harry Kinard last talked with his son on Saturday afternoon, about nine hours before Andrew was injured.
"We're desperately trying to work some channels to get some information, but they said it may be another day or so before we get another word on his condition," Harry Kinard said.
Andrew Kinard was flown to Al Asad Airfield, the largest U.S. airbase in western Iraq, for surgery. The last word the family received was that he had been transferred to a trauma center outside of Baghdad.
He suffered severe pelvic fragmentation and leg injuries, said his father, a urologist in Spartanburg. The family found out early Monday afternoon.
Andrew Kinard turns 24 next month.
He is part of the 2nd Marine Division's 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, which is based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
A spokesman for the 2nd Division on Monday confirmed that the armored detachment was stationed in Iraq, but could not confirm Kinard's injuries or disclose any details of the incident that caused them. The division only releases such information in cases where a Marine is killed, Cpl. Athanasios Genos said from Camp Lejeune.
After graduating from Dorman High School, Andrew Kinard attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
He accepted a Marine Corps commission following graduation. At first he wanted to be a pilot, but eventually decided to go the infantry route.
"He's an outstanding young man," said the Rev. Seth Buckley, minister to students at First Baptist Church in Spartanburg.
"He was born to lead. But he had such humility. He had a rare combination of leadership skills but a very humble spirit. So people loved to be around him. He was really the one who exerted positive peer pressure on his friends in high school, helping them make the right decisions.
"He has an unwavering faith in the Lord, and we really think that's going to be a difference-maker right now," Buckley said.
First Baptist is planning several prayer vigils for Kinard, including one at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday as part of its student worship experience. People of all ages are welcome.
Kinard last made headlines in February 2005, when he was preparing to sing at Super Bowl XXXIX along with 25 other midshipmen at the Naval Academy.
He always set high goals and pursued them, his family said at the time.
Kinard and his comrades were prepared for the realities of war, his father said.
"It was a situation where all of them knew that something like this could happen at any moment," Harry Kinard said. "It was something that they're trained for, prepared for. They don't necessarily like it, but it's just a fact of life."