The Army medic, a former West Valley College student, was wounded in action in Baghdad on May 27. He had been in Iraq since the beginning of March.

"He was hit on the chest by a rocket-propelled grenade," said Frank Mullaney, Lon's father. "The rocket exploded after it bounced off him. There is an injury on his right hand, and he has lost feeling in three of his fingers."

"I was very scared when I got the phone call," said Michelle Powers, his wife of one year. Powers, an educational assistant at Pine Hill School, said that Mullaney was also hit with shrapnel when the grenade exploded.

Mullaney was air-lifted to Germany after being wounded, then sent to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. He has since been moved to Fort Hood in Texas.

The Mullaney family lives in San Jose, and their backyard fence borders Los Gatos. Mullaney trained with the Army at a medical training center near San Antonio, Texas, before he was sent to Iraq. He was enrolled for two years at West Valley College, where he pursued a degree in criminal justice.

"We are hoping that he will be released soon," said Powers.

Powers had been in touch with her husband intermittently through phone and e-mail during his time in Baghdad.

"I collect Coke bottles from different countries," she said. "He sent me some Coke bottles and cans from Kuwait."

Mullaney's father said that his son was very athletic and went kayaking and rock climbing often.

"He cares about people. He would take the shirt off his back if he could help someone," he said. "He's an all-American kid. He likes animals and birds. He even built a small pond for koi at the back of the house."

Mullaney's father served in the Navy for 24 years from 1962 until 1986, serving off the coast of Vietnam and riding riverboats near Dong Tam in South Vietnam.

"When he left, I told him to keep his head down and take care of his patients," said Frank.

A longtime friend, Steve Teresi of Roseville, has gone skin diving with Mullaney, has helped him restore old cars and even cooked a turkey for him and his wife after Thanksgiving.

"Once you are his friend, you are his friend forever," said Teresi.

"It was pretty tough out there for him," he added. "They were getting shot at all the time. He was getting more serious as he spent more time in Iraq."