Trapper Brandenburger left Afghanistan more than a year ago.
The former Marine now makes a living as roofer, living a quiet, happy life with his wife in Marysville.
Yet part of him is still a Marine. His combat experience in Afghanistan haunts him.
When Brandenburger, 27, hears people walk down the street at night, he goes to check it out.
When he sees a crowd, he evaluates threats for a riot.
On July 23, Brandenburger was at a house near Snohomish. A tree had fallen through the house’s roof. He and his boss were hired to fix it.
Around 4:30 p.m., they were cleaning their tools, getting ready to go home.
A loud explosion came from a workshop near the house. Alvie Kronbeck, the home’s owner, had entered the shop earlier.
“We froze,” Brandenburger said.
He heard Kronbeck moaning from inside the workshop.
Brandenburger put down a ladder and climbed down from the roof. He rushed to the shop and found Kronbeck lying on the floor.
He ran out and told Kronbeck’s wife to call 911.
He ran back into the shop. He saw Kronbeck covered in blood.
The smell of blood triggered Brandenburger’s memories of Afghanistan.
The Marine had spent 10 months in Helmand Province in the southern part of the war-torn country before coming home in January 2006. He had accompanied a U.S. Army team that tracked down Taliban in remote areas. The team interviewed local people in villages about terrorists’ whereabouts; Brandenburger was in charge of the team’s vehicles and security.
In Afghanistan, Brandenburger was on alert all the time. When he found dark windows, he looked for snipers. When he saw cars, he wondered if they had bombs.
He hiked up mountains tracking down insurgents and terrorists. At night, he and his buddies took turns sleeping and patrolling. They fought ambushes.
Brandenburger saw friends shot or blown up by bombs. Some died.
Now Brandenburger was in the workshop near Snohomish. He was standing near Kronbeck, who was hurt and needed help.
Blood was gushing out of his right knee. Kronbeck, still conscious, asked for a tourniquet.
Brandenburger took off his thick leather belt. He wrapped the belt around Kronbeck’s right thigh to stop the bleeding.
Kronbeck’s neck was bleeding out of a deep cut as well. Brandenburger used a jean jacket to put pressure on the cut.
The two men waited for medics to arrive. They kept talking to each other. At one point, Kronbeck said he would die, Brandenburger remembers.
Brandenburger hoped that the man in his arms would survive. Yet Kronbeck was hurt badly. Brandenburger didn’t know what to say.
“Are you a Christian?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kronbeck answered.
They prayed together.
Soon, firefighters arrived. Paramedics followed. Brandenburger helped to cut off Kronbeck’s clothes so that he could be treated.
Brandenburger was a Marine again; he kept using military language such as “Roger.”
Kronbeck was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Two weeks after the explosion, Kronbeck remains in the hospital, receiving medical treatment.
The explosion didn’t cause a fire or destroy the workshop, according to fire officials. Investigators have yet to determine the cause. Chemicals were not believed to have played into the incident, according to fire officials.
“It doesn’t appear that the victim was doing anything inappropriately,” said Tom Foster, deputy fire marshal of Snohomish County.
Brandenburger’s action saved Kronbeck’s life, Foster said. The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office has nominated him for an American Red Cross hero award, Foster said.
“His training and experience (as a Marine) were extremely helpful in dealing with the situation,” Foster said.
Kronbeck’s family and friends are grateful for Brandenburger’s prompt actions, said Sherri Mead, a family friend.
“There’s no doubt that (Brandenburger) saved his life,” Mead said.
If the explosion had occurred 10 minutes later, Brandenburger said he would’ve been gone from the house for a day.
“I was glad that I was there,” he said. “Glad he made it.”
Brandenburger and Kronbeck haven’t seen each other since the incident. Brandenburger plans to visit him at the hospital soon.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@ heraldnet.com.
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