Marine getting tools to recover

FOND DU LAC COUNTY - Josh Wege, from Waucousta in Fond du Lac County, will be getting prosthetics.

The 19-year-old's feet had to be amputated because of injuries he received after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb on October 4th.

“The vehicle went 40 some feet in the air, 120 feet forward and was a catastrophic kill as the Marine Corps described it,” said David Wege, Josh’s father.

Josh Wege suffered a concussion and had only six to eight inches of his leg remaining below his knee.

“God wasn't ready to take him,” said Kay Wege, Josh’s mother.

Getting hurt in the line of duty, Wege earned the Purple Heart, but when he was about to be presented with the award, he wasn't ready to accept it.

“Josh said no I'd like to be standing on my own feet when you want to give me this award and apparently the general said we will respect your decision,” said David Wege.

Wege has been rehabing at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland since he returned to the U.S. shortly after getting injured. Josh's family visited him and saw first hand that he is on his own rehab schedule.

“The first day he was able to be on his knees, he hadn't been on his knees for a month,” said David Wege. “He is fairly stiff in the knees then all of a sudden he had 35 degrees more range of motion. He rolled on his stomach, realized he was on his knees and his response was 50 quick pushups. His therapist was smiling and shaking her head.”

The community has been trying to help out the Wege family ever since Josh's injuries. That includes the Fin and Feather Supper Club where Josh used to work and many of his family members as well. On Sunday, they are offering 10% of their income to the Wege family to help deal with expenses.

“Employees kind of come and go,” said Betty Krueger, one of the managers of Fin and Feather Supper Club. “Some of them leave a mark in your hearts forever and that's what the Wege family did to us.”

“This was very touching,” said Kay Wege. “I didn’t expect it at all.”

The Wege's say the outpouring of support will go a long way.

“We just had some cement poured on the driveway to make getting in and out of vehicles easier for him when he is home,” said David Wege. “When I told Josh that he said oh so maybe we'll play some basketball at Christmas.”

The rest of Wege's unit will be returning from the war in December. He hopes to greet them off the plane, walking on his new two feet.

Wege wants to receive his purple heart when the rest of his unit returns to its base in North Carolina.

Wege's family says Josh expects to be home in Wisconsin by Christmas.