Injured troops come to Tampa to re-learn how to live their lives

Tampa, Florida -- When wounded servicemembers come home, some of the most badly hurt are sent to the Tampa Bay area, where they rely on help from regular folks to re-learn the basics of life.

With battlefield medicine getting better every day, more and more troops who would have died in the past are now surviving. To handle that new challenge, the military is turning to you and me -- the people of Tampa Bay.

One soldier's struggle began in Italy, two years ago.

The training helicopter carrying Sergeant Mark Lalli and his team spiraled to the ground.

"A few people were killed instantly. A few people died in the hospital later. Some walked away. It all depended on where you were sitting," Lalli said.

A coma. A broken spine. Other fractures. And brain damage.

Lalli spent months in military hospitals. His girlfriend came from Australia for as long as she could to be by his side.

"I figure what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so that's all the more motivation for me to get up and do more stuff," Lalli said. His speech is now a little slower, a little lower, and a bit more muddled than the average person's.

Eventually, Lalli was ready for release from the hospital -- but he still wasn't ready for the real world. So he moved into a newly-built special unit at the James A. Haley V.A. hospital near the University of South Florida.

The center is one of just a few like it in the world.

It feels like an apartment complex. SGT Lalli lives in his own room. On the fridge are snapshots of buddies and banquets and rock climbing -- all taken in the years before mangled metal and hospital stays changed his world.

Up to ten troops, all in similar situations, live on their own here, sharing a kitchen, gym, and rec room.

But round the corner, and doctors like Marissa McCarthy are right here. They handle checkups, emergencies, and counseling on learning how to live again.

"What we've seen in the past is -- when patients go home directly from the hospital, they end up having problems with communication skills, learning to deal with others, and that can get them into trouble sometimes," McCarthy said.

As part of this "polytrauma" program, recovering troops and the staff plan trips. It may be a run to the grocery store, a visit to the museum, or a sightseeing trip.

Each outing is focused on teaching. How will we get there? How will we pay?

Tampa becomes their training ground as they re-learn the basics we all take for granted.

"You live by yourself. You can make your own bed. Just the simplest stuff -- stuff as simple as taking the trash out in the morning. It's like getting you back to the way you should be," Lalli said.

After months here, patients like Lalli will move out. They'll eventually learn enough life skills to able to get most of their care from V.A. or military hospitals in any city they choose.

But SGT Lalli says he plans to choose Tampa. He's fallen in love with the city that's taught him how to live again. He and his girlfriend plan to settle here to enjoy that new life together.

However, Lalli says he won't keep wearing camouflage. "I need to find a new job, I think. Because my current job kinda almost killed me, so I think I need to find another job," Lalli said, showing the injuries that slowed his speech haven't hurt his sense of humor.

Connect with 10 Connects multi-media journalist Grayson Kamm on Twitter as @graysonkamm, on his Facebook page, by e-mail at this link, or on AOL Instant Messenger as screen name GraysonConnects.