If there’s one thing that friends and family have learned from Army Specialist Nick Staback, it’s to stay positive and determined even in the face of tragedy.
And thanks to the generosity of the community, they’ll be able to do just that with A Night for Nick, a benefit at The Adventure Zone at the Ice Box Complex, 3 West Olive St., Scranton, on Saturday, April 28, from 5-10 p.m. Proceeds will directly benefit Staback, who lost both his legs and injured his arm while serving in Afghanistan.
The grandson of State Rep. Edward Staback, Nick followed in his older brother’s footsteps right out of Valley View High School, joining the army in 2009 at the age of 19. He was deployed to Afghanistan in March of 2011.
“He was two when I met him, and I remember he had a tub full of army guys and it’s all he ever played with. Since he could speak, he said that he wanted to be an army sniper. That’s all he ever wanted to be,” Maura Staback, Nick’s aunt and organizer of A Night for Nick, recalled.
“He was always looking forward to it, and once we graduated high school, we all knew that he was going to the army,” Brandon Cortazar, Nick’s close friend since the first grade and another organizer, added.
“He always said that he wanted to help make a difference and actually feel like he’s doing something for this country. We couldn’t really see him doing any kind of blue-collar job or anything like that.”
But on Oct. 4, 2011, Staback was badly wounded by an improvised explosive device, or IED, leaving his loved ones on the other side of the world to wonder if he would make it home alive.
“Nick was in a field hospital in Afghanistan for a period of time until they stabilized him, and then they moved him to Germany, so there was like four days there where we had a real lack of communication. We knew the severity of his injuries, but truthfully didn’t know if he would survive them. It was a very, very difficult time, and it’s still a very emotional time for his parents as well, just watching your son go through this,” Maura explained.
“It was a horrible time for his mom and his dad, for all of our family, and I know that they’ll use this experience to help others when they’re done, but right now this is their journey, and their journey is trying to get their son better.”
“He actually called his mom when we were at his house and he was talking fine and everything. For those few days, though, it was very scary because we didn’t know the extent of the damages. We didn’t know if he was even going to survive or where he was,” Cortazar said.
Still recuperating at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, Staback may have to spend a year or more in recovery, though the now 21-year-old has been able to visit his hometown of Sturges a few times since his accident.
“He’s determined, and he has been from the very first day of his accident to learn how to walk again. I just keep saying his strength and determination have completely helped him not only survive stepping on an IED, but he has accepted the life he’s living now even though it wasn’t the life he planned with such grace that it’s incredible to me,” Maura said.
“He is trying his hardest to get up on those legs every day. He also severely shattered his hip in the accident, so they had to plate his hip. It’s a big challenge for him to get up on those legs every day and try to walk and endure the pain that it takes, but he does it. He’s incredible.”
Using prosthetic limbs to help him walk, Staback’s bravery, Cortazar emphasized, has not only kept him going, but has kept his family and friends going as well, who have been with him “every single step of the way.”
“Words can’t even describe what type of guy he is. People remember him. He’s a very strong-hearted guy. He’s tough, strong, loving, caring – I can’t even say one thing bad about him. He’s just an absolutely amazing guy. He’s very courageous,” Cortazar commented.
“He definitely has a big impact on anyone he meets, especially now, with his motivation and his strength. It’s motivating to anyone to see the type of stuff that he’s going through now, how he can recover so fast and have such a strong mind through all of this.”
Staback has also inspired complete strangers with his story. Maura said that since they started putting the fundraiser together in January, locals have come “out of the woodwork” to help, with Lamar Advertising donating billboard space; food sent from the Mid Valley, Clarks Summit, and as far away as Lake Ariel; and over 100 baskets and large raffle items provided by various supporters and businesses.
“The community has been incredible. I can’t say enough about how touched we are by people’s kindness. It’s been unbelievable. You experience these things in life, you hate to say, when something horrible happens, but still, it’s amazing how much people’s kindness gives you strength to get through it,” she continued.
The $25 tickets, which can be purchased at the door, will include food, beverages, and entertainment, and music will be provided by Hillbilly Deluxe, The Jeffrey James Band, and Q-Balls. T-shirts and wristbands will be sold at the event and at Smiler’s Grill & Bar, 600 Main St., Dickson City, where advance tickets can also be purchased and donations are being collected.
“We want him to have a comfortable life when he comes back. The house he’s living in isn’t suitable at the moment, so our goal is to raise enough money to either build him a new house or fix his house up so it’s handicap accessible….He also has to buy a vehicle that’s handicap accessible. Our goal is to just to give back to him what he gave to us and our country,” Cortazar said.
“I think the big thing is to respect what people do for this country. I don’t think people realize how much they go through to make sure people here sleep safe. I respect him every single day because I know most people, including me, don’t have the courage to do what he did… Injuries like that and even death can happen every day, and he went over there knowing that that could happen to him.”
He noted that Staback is already thinking about his future when he arrives home, hoping to still work with weapons or a private contractor that supports the military so that he can continue to serve his country in one way or another.
“To take a circumstance like that and change it into a positive thing – he’s now just working on that goal of becoming what he wants to be, no matter what. He won’t let anything get in his way,” Cortazar said.
“He just feels like this is what he has to do,” Maura agreed. “He’s going to walk again, and that’s all that he focuses on.”