Take just one look at the Budd family home in Cheshire and you can see the patriotic pride surrounding the house.
Yellow ribbons adorn the front porch and one remains tied around the tree in the front yard, waiting for Joshua Budd, 19, to come home. He is currently at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, recovering from injuries he received while fighting in Afghanistan.
“He has a broken right leg, which they have pinned right now. He suffered lacerations on both arms which are stitched,” said Bill Herzman, a Cheshire firefighter who is a friend of the family.
Even more devastating, Budd lost his left leg after his unit struck an IED while patrolling in Afghanistan on July 18.
It was the third IED incident Budd encountered in the three months he'd been in Afghanistan. He's earned a Purple Heart and is nominated for a Medal of Valor for keeping his fellow soldiers alive during one of the attacks.
“Josh is mentally strong. He actually wants to go back to combat. He feels he owes a debt to our society. He wants to protect our society,” Herzman said.
Now, Budd’s hometown of Cheshire wants to help him. They've been trying to raise money to help with the family's expenses and to get Budd a new car that will accommodate his injuries.
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“We've been working with Maritime Motors with the assistance of Bozzuto's to try to get him an automatic transmission. The vehicle has been donated to us pretty much at cost, we just have to come up with the remaining money to fund it for him,” said Herzman.
The VFW in Prospect has offered to donate its pavilion for one of the fundraisers, which will be held Sept. 11, from noon to 6 p.m. The date is fitting because the 9/11 terrorist attacks are what inspired Budd to join the military.
“He's one of us, and we stick together. We try to help each other out,” said Doug Mott, the Commander at the VFW Local 8075.
Donations may be mailed to:
The Josh Budd Wounded War Vet Fund
c/o Naugatuck Savings Bank
218 Maple Avenue
Cheshire, CT 06410
