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Afghanistan veteran who rescued Plymouth native will push him in Boston Marathon
"He's a beacon of hope."
In 2018, Chelmsford native Kevin Holland came across an article about an injured Afghanistan veteran that sounded strikingly familiar.
The article, published on a local Plymouth website, outlined the struggles of Nick Eufrazio, a lance corporal with the Marine Corps who suffered devastating injuries in 2010 when a grenade exploded near his post. Even though rescue efforts and later medical procedures were successful, the blast damaged Eufrazio’s skull and left shrapnel in his brain.
Holland, who was a member of Air Force Rescue, found himself filling in some gaps as he read. Back in 2010, he was stationed at Camp Bastion — a small base in Afghanistan where he could watch over the main combat zone.
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One morning, a member of Holland’s opposite shift told him to keep an eye out for “grenade frag” — a rarity in Afghanistan. Sure enough, the fourth call of the day was for grenade blast wounds with little other information.
Holland and his unit responded, and they found two marines with “very significant” grenade injuries. Holland and his unit were used to gunshots and IEDs. Holland found himself wondering, “what the hell is going on here?”
“That obviously gets stored in your mind,” Holland told Boston.com.
Holland reached out to the family featured in the article and spoke to Eufrazio’s mother, Suzanne Guenther. The two connected the dots and realized what Holland suspected: He was indeed part of the team that rescued Eufrazio.
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“I cried like a baby,” Eufrazio’s mother, Suzanne Guenther, told Boston.com. “It was awesome. It had been years. It was nice to know that people still recognize that Nick was alive.”
When Holland rescued service members, he rarely was able to follow up, and at that moment in 2010, Holland didn’t think Eufrazio would survive — his injuries were too severe.
But Eufrazio’s recovery was remarkable. He underwent three cranioplasties to replace the parts of his skull that were damaged in the blast. At one point, infection set in, and doctors opted to promote healing by leaving Eufrazio’s skull open. He had to wear a helmet to protect his brain. For more than a year after the blast, Eufrazio was unable to speak. Years later, he still suffered life-threatening seizures.
But Eufrazio continued to improve. He gained some weight back. By the time Holland tracked Eufrazio down, the two could talk a little about Boston sports and their shared military experiences.
Guenther appreciated that Eufrazio and Holland could connect. Eufrazio’s family doesn’t have a military history, and at times they struggle to relate to their son’s experiences.
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“When he gets together with the fellow service members, he just lights up and he starts speaking the language,” Guenther said. “Sometimes you don’t even know that he was even injured.”
Holland felt the connection too — a connection common among veterans. When Holland is with Eufrazio he can pick out fellow service members almost instantly, and conversations flow with ease.
What area were you in?
Oh, I was in Northern Afghanistan.
Oh, I know that area, we’ve been there.
“When you meet somebody else that has gone through it, you’re able to connect with that person,” Holland said. “That’s exactly what Nick is, right? He’s a beacon of hope. If he can do it, I can do it. If I’m going through a challenge, I just think, ‘All right. I can get through this. Nick came back from hell. So I can do this.’”
Holland and Eufrazio shared another connection: Running. The Hoyt Foundation donated a running chair to Eufrazio, and he was supposed to be part of the Marine Corps Marathon — a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Holland was training for the Rock and Roll Marathon in Las Vegas where he was stationed, and he pitched the idea of signing up for the Boston Marathon.
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The duo decided to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon in Hyannis. Holland thought he was prepared when they arrived at the starting line, even though he had never pushed a chair for a race before. Another man pushing his son in a chair approached them.
“He kind of looked at me like I was a nut bag,” Holland said. “Like, ‘This is the first time you’re pushing?’ He was like, ‘Good luck.’
“We had our challenges, but it worked out.”
Eufrazio went with the flow, according to Guenther, although she told him he might need to lose some weight before Boston to help Holland out.
“He gave Kevin some grief toward the end that he was slowing down,” Guenther said, chuckling. “His only job was to hand Kevin the water bottle.”
Holland and Eufrazio — also known as Team Freezer, a call back to Eufrazio’s nickname as a high-school football player — were supposed to run in last year’s Boston Marathon for the Semper Fi & America’s Fund and were named part of the Honorary Boston Marathon Team. On Monday, at the 125th Boston Marathon, they plan to give it another shot.
The fluid start date has been a challenge. Training for a marathon requires a rigorous, consistent schedule with the right amount of build-up. Holland trained in California, hitting as many hills as possible and jumping rope to supplement.
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Guenther expects Eufrazio will enjoy himself — he appreciates the scenery and the opportunity to be part of something.
For Holland, pushing him is an honor.
“It’s pretty cheesy, but the main thing I want people to get from it is that no matter how hard and tough and difficult the circumstances stacked against you, you cannot give up,” Holland said. “Like he literally had part of his head removed, and on the brink of just death, and he was able to come back. And now he’s going to be crossing the finish line at the Marathon. So that’s pretty amazing. …
“To be one of the few that can say, ‘Man, I saw him, he shouldn’t be alive right now,’ and now I get to push him across the line is even cooler.”
You can donate to Nick Eufrazio through Holland’s GoFundMe.
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