A story behind a soldier's tattoo
Kyle Hockenberry Stars and Stripes photo by Laura Rauch
12:58 pm Sep. 29, 20116
This image on Time magazine's website shows infantryman Kyle Hockenberry in a helicopter in Afghanistan receiving treatment after surviving a road-side bomb blast in which he lost both his legs and his left arm. On the right side of his ribcage is a tattoo that reads "For those I love I will sacrifice."
The words take on a terrible resonance in this context.
They were particularly meaningful for one New York City employee.
"It's a lyric I wrote in my mom's house when I was 16," said Justin Brannan, 33.
Brannan, now a top aide to New York City Councilman Vincent Gentile, was a member of a hardcore punk group called Indecision that traveled the U.S. and around the world from 1993 to 2000.
His friends quickly recognized the words as a line from a song called "Hallowed Be Thy Name," on a record that was released in 1997.
"That song was like our anthem, our Free Bird," said Brannan.
He said he didn't assume Hockenberry had even heard of his band, and said the lyric has circulated among tattoo enthusiasts, many of whom are unaware it's a line from a song.
"I have no idea if that guy has heard my band," Brannan said. "I know some firefighters and cops that got it after 9/11."
He nevertheless has reached out to Hockenberry's family, and plans to do a benefit concert for the wounded solider in Brooklyn, where the band originated.
"It's very sobering and puts things into perspective," said Brannan, in an interview this afternoon. "It makes you want to do everything you can for someone."
As for his move from hardcore punk to City Council employee, Brannan said it's not as unusual as it sounds.
"I got involved in politics because I felt if I wanted to really make change, I had to stop throwing rocks at the window and go into the building with the windows," he said. "Hardcore and punk was all about questioning authority and finding yourself ... It was kind of like the logical next step for me."
To send letters, cards, etc. to Hockenberry:
PFC Kyle Hockenberry, c/o Kathy Hockenberry
Legacy Heights Apartments
Apartment 10103
1320 Austin Highway
San Antonio, TX 78209
OK, as beautiful of a protrayal as this is. This image is merely symbolic and I think TIME magazine should be chastized for not saying it themselves. The tattoo on the soldiers side is photoshopped. You can easily zoom in on the photo and see the pixelation only around the words on the soldiers side.
Actually spoken from someone who is from the town that this young man grew up in, that is real. For you to look for that is pathetic and ungrateful. How sad is it that you can look at that picture and read what happened to this man and all you care about is stating your opinion about whether it's real. The truth behind his tattoo is so amazing.
No more pixilated than any other compareable object of size and distance in the photo. ctdummy, I challenge your statement.
Whether or not you feel this is symbolic ctdummy you totally are missing the point, this is a story about a wounded soldier that is fighting for your freedoms including your freedom of speech. I think it is very sad that instead of you showing an ounce of compassion for an injured soldier you have to make claims about a photo being photoshopped. That is sad so very sad and such a slap in the face to all of our servicemen and women.
I think it's okay for ctdummy to have looked for evidence of photoshopping, and not some horrible character flaw on their part. It would have been better if they'd done more digging before rendering a mistaken opinion, because that would have shown that the tatt is real.
My heart & soul are with Kyle Hockenberry & his family.
Hey ctdummy, the name explains its all doesn't it. How you gonna set there and say that the tattoo on my fellow battle buddy and fellow best friend Kyle Hockenberry is fake? Your a dumbass and should prolly off yourself right now. I was there June 15th 2011 when Hock and another soldier SPC Hensley were blown up. We were taking heavy contact and they were pushing for cover when Hock stepped on an IED. As his medevac was coming in over the mountains Hensley pushed up to shoot an AT4 missile into the tree line we were getting raped from by the Taliban. He stepped on his own IED and suffered the same wounds as Hock. But hock lived, Hensley died 9 days later in a German hospital. I worked on both of these casualties applying tourniquets and stopping bleeding from lacerations to upper body. You people need to wake the fuck up and realize this shit is real. How the fuck are you honestly gonna say that this picture is 100% photoshopped? Your an idiot man. This is real shit, not dumb shit. Get on our category