Say a prayer for U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Renehan

Over at Mamamontezz's place, I read about Marine LCpl. Kyle Renehan being injured in Iraq. She links to an account on Yeah, right, whatever:

One of the regulars in the VRWC chat room, Spencer (SLG) has an urgent prayer request. His brother, Lance Corporal Kyle Renehan, USMC, was seriously injured during a mortar attack in Fallujah today. His right leg was broken in two places (not sure if he'll be able to keep it or not), abdomen and arm hit, but no serious injuries there, and shrapnel hit his head. He's out of surgery- they think it went well. His other brother, Chris, was flown in from somewhere else in Iraq to be with him in Baghdad.

Please keep Kyle, Chris, Spence, and the rest of their family in your prayers. Their mom is having a really rough time right now, and Dad's not doing much better.

There is also a link to his brother Spencer's blog, Sad Lonely Geek, where he is soliciting donations to help his parents offset their travel expenses:

My brother, LCpl Kyle Renehan, was seriously wounded in Iraq on Monday, November 29. He had just come off air traffic control and was using the communications room to have a conversation on instant messenger with a few people back home when a mortar shell struck.

His stomach and right arm received minor injuries. His right leg was broken in at least two places, and has been temporarily stabilized with surgery and a bolt placed in it. The long term of the leg is questionable. His head received the most traumatic injury, however, as shrapnel broke his skull and entered his brain, requiring him to be air-lifted to Baghdad and emergency surgery be preformed right away.

My other brother, LCpl Christopher Renehan, was quickly flown to be with Kyle after the surgery and is currently awaiting word on the latest condition, and is the only link the family has to current situation as no official word has come from the Marines.

The very latest we know is that Kyle will be transported to an airport in Kuwait then flown to Germany for more extensive testing and likely more surgery. Chris, still an active Civil Affairs soldier, will be returned to his unit when this happens. My parents plan on flying to Germany by day's end on Tuesday the 30th. Because of the nature of the situation they will more than likely need funds to help defray the costs they may incur in Germany. Food, incidentals, and anything Kyle may need, as his things will probably not be flown out with him.

Ever the skeptic, I wanted to verify that this was indeed a real and true story before sending any cash. (No offense to the family intended.)

I searched google for "Kyle Renehan" and found this picture as result #1:

(Caption: 040629-N-1512S-025 Red Sea (June 29, 2004) - U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Renehan, from Oxford, Pa., works on a .50 caliber machine gun aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). Lance Cpl. Renehan is assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). Kearsarge is surge deployed to transport elements of the 24th MEU to the Central Command Area of Responsibility in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and the Global War on Terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Kenny Swartout (RELEASED)"image via NAVY.mil )

I compared that to the domain registration records for sadlonelygeek.com, and saw that he was indeed from the same town.

Based on the above, I'm satisfied that this is legit. Keep Lance Cpl. Kyle Renehan and his family in your prayers. And if you have a few bucks to spare, click on over to his brother Spencer's website and make a donation to help his parents offset the cost of their frantic trip to Germany to visit their injured son. I can picture my own parents in the same situation, and I know that they would sincerely appreciate the help.