Both of Dandrea’s legs were amputated after an improvised explosive device went off while he was on duty in Afghanistan.
Molly Dandrea said despite the injury, his voice was calm when he called to explain his injury. He was conscious throughout the explosion, which knocked him through the air.
“All I wanted to know was that he was alive,” Molly Dandrea said.
Marcus Dandrea joined the Marines in 2007 shortly after he graduated from the Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology in Florida. The oldest of eight children, he had already served a tour of duty in Iraq and left for Afghanistan in late January. He is the first in his immediate family to serve in the military. He has a daughter, Naomi, and a wife, Nicole.
Molly Dandrea said her son has always wanted to be a Marine. He has already told her he does not regret his decision, she said.
“He does not regret becoming a Marine,” she said. “He would never take back becoming a Marine.”
Molly Dandrea said she has talked to her son a few times since his injury, and he appears to be improving each time. She said her son is already researching prosthetic devices to see which might serve him best.
She said a few family members will be flown to Washington, D.C., to visit him upon his return.
She also said her son was coping with his injuries better than most.
She said when they spoke, he told her he has been thinking about all the people and the good things in his life.
“It’s like he’s moved past it already,” she said.
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