INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — If life is a balance between give and take, Kyle Anderson has given more than his share.
At age 30, Kyle stocks the coolers at an Inver Grove Heights Walgreens.
His right arm hangs by his side, while his left hand flips bottles of soda into their slots.
Kyle’s speech, at times, can be hard for newcomers to the store to understand.
But not always.
“I am done, when I am done,” the gregarious Kyle says with a laugh.
Twenty years have passed since Kyle nearly gave his life in service to his country.
Seth Anderson, Kyle’s best friend from Simley High School, still remembers being summoned by his wrestling coach to receive the news.
Glancing at Kyle, Seth recounts the day. “I think the first news we got was that you got hit and you weren't going to make it, so we thought Kyle was dead,” Seth says.
Years earlier, Kyle had taken the younger wrestler under his wing when Seth joined the team after moving from Iowa.
“Kyle was Mr. Popular,” Seth says. “Everybody knew him in high school.”
Kyle capped off high school by winning a state wrestling championship his senior year.
“That's Kyle walking off the mat,” Seth says, holding up a photo of Kyle’s victorious moment.
After high school, Kyle joined the Marines. He was deployed to the war in Iraq, where the course of his life was altered.
“October of 2004, right?” Seth asks his friend for confirmation.
Kyle isn't certain what hit him, perhaps shrapnel or a rocket-propelled grenade.
But there is no uncertainty about the impact’s effects.
“They ended up removing most of the left lobe of your brain and the skull was gone,” Seth says as Kyle listens intently.
Walgreens gave Kyle the opportunity to work.
But while he’s at the store, work of another kind has been going on back at Kyle’s house.
For months, some two dozen contractors have been giving time and materials to give Kyle something special.
Chris Biljan, the owner of Great Northern Builders, stands inside the now-completed two-stall garage and man cave, which includes a fancy bar, a large TV, and a pool table covered in red felt and displaying a large Marine logo at the center.
Chris stands in the middle of the garage. "I think it looks great," he says, "considering there was nothing here before except dirt."
Chris was pulled into the project by his brother, Nate Biljan, another of Kyle’s high school wrestling buddies.
“What he's gone through,” Nate says, "he deserves it.”
Chris agrees.
“If a guy can go through all of that, and be that positive, have that kind of outlook on life, why not do something like this for him,” he says.
For weeks, Kyle has been locked out of his own garage. But on a chilly morning, friends begin arriving at his house.
“It’s your special day,” one of them tells Kyle as hugs are exchanged.
Red ribbons hang across each of the garage doors as Nate takes the microphone. Several dozen people — friends, contractors, classmates, and Kyle’s mom — stand in a semi-circle.
Kyle stands next to Nate, smiling broadly.
“I know I speak for everyone,” Nate says into the mic, facing his friend. “I can't thank you enough for your service.”
The high school buddies exchange an embrace as the crowd applauds enthusiastically.
Oversized scissors appear and a red ribbon is cut.
In unison, the garage doors open.
Kyle’s face lights up as he catches his first glimpse of desert-colored floors and a wall of reclaimed wood.
“Oh, wow!” he keeps repeating as he walks through his new space.
His service to his country took much from Kyle.
Now, two decades later, his friends are giving Kyle a reminder.
“Amazing work for an amazing hero,” one of them says.
Through the give and take of life, they haven’t forgotten his sacrifice.
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