The grandson of a Forest Lake couple was injured last Friday in a land mine explosion in Iraq that claimed one life.Army Spec. Joseph Maki, 20, of Lewiston, was hurt during a combat patrol mission in Tikrit. He is the grandson of Franklin and Ellen Maki of Forest Lake and the son of Gary Maki of Lewiston and Kit Smith of St. Charles.
Spec. Maki serves with the Armyís First Infantry Battalion of Engineers. The unit was on patrol detecting land mines last Friday, Franklin Maki confirmed.
According to the family and newspaper reports from the Winona Daily News, Spec. Makiís superior officer stepped from a Humvee and detonated a mine. The sergeant was killed instantly and Maki was injured.
The explosion claimed the life of Sgt. Brian Wood, 21, of Torrance, CA.
Spec. Maki was taken to a field hospital in Tikrit where he was treated for leg injuries and hearing loss. He was later released from the field hospital.
Spec. Maki attended Lewiston-Altura High School until halfway through his senior year when he joined the Army following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He has served in the Minnesota Army National Guard since he was 17.
Family members said his initial active duty deployment was to Germany but he was sent to Kuwait at the end of January for training and to begin a one-year duty assignment in Southwest Asia.
He has been serving in Iraq for the past two months.
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