Families say injured Iowa Guardsmen are recovering

Two Iowa soldiers injured Monday in Afghanistan are recovering, family members say.

Iowa National Guard Spec. Tim Bagley “is doing real well” after he was injured Monday night in Afghanistan, his father says.

“He's a toughie,” Stewart Bagley of Independence said Thursday afternoon. “It scared us there for awhile, but he's going to be alright.”

Tim Bagley, 21, is scheduled to be transferred Friday from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the U.S. military hospital in Germany, to Fort Gordon, Ga., Stewart Bagley said.

Sgt. 1st Class Eric Lindsey, Eldora, injured in the same incident, is also at Landstuhl.

"It wasn't as serious as it could've been," said Lindsey's father, Gary Lindsey of Vinton.

Gary Lindsey said his son suffered a back injury.

Col. Greg Hapgood confirmed Tim Bagley, and Lindsey, both of Company C, 1

^st

Battalion, 133

^rd

Infantry, was injured by an improvised explosive device. They were airlifted to Germany after initial treatment at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

Tim Bagley apparently suffered some injury to his jaw. Stewart Bagley said he and Christine Bagley called their son Thursday night.

“He's not able to speak,” Stewart Bagley said. “But it was his grunts, put it that way, at the end of the phone. They told me he was doing very well.”

Tim Bagley wrestled at Independence High School before graduating in 2008, according to Stewart Bagley.

“He joined the Guard when he just got out of high school,” he said. “He tried school a little bit , didn't like it. He was actually talking about going full-time Army when this happened.”

Tim Bagley is among approximately 3,000 Iowa National Guard troops deployed to Afghanistan last August for a year. He'd been scheduled for a visit home next week.

“He had his orders to come home for leave,” Stewart Bagley said. “He  was due to be in Cedar Rapids the 15

^th.”