October 28, 2009

Camo is popular, especially around Halloween time. Kids love to dress up like soldiers and monsters in ghillie suits used in the military.

But if you think these suits are safe, take a look at Jeremy Ehart. Ehart blames the ghillie suit for destroying his life. Jeremy joined the Marines right after high school. He had it all--his career, the love of his wife and his son. But it all came crashing down October 28, 2004.

He and other Marines were training in California, wearing a ghillie suit made of a burlap-type fabric, used for camouflage. The Marines were using a machine gun filled with blanks. "I didn't see the flash, I didn't hear anything, the first thing I noticed was this arm was on fire", Ehart said.

The ghillie suit ignited and within seconds was on fire. "I got down and started rolling around and I could feel it intensify, I could feel it in my face. I remember looking up as high as I could", Ehart said.

Five years and 13 surgeries later, his job has changed. "Now I feel like my job is having surgeries and therapy," Ehart said.

Jeremy and a second Marine who was burned trying to put out the fire are suing the manufacturer of the ghillie suit, the company that provides the flame retardant spray that's put on the suit, and the makers of the machine gun. "I don't think there's any question that the manufacturer that's unreasonably dangerous", said attorney Daniel Sciano.

The lawsuit claims negligence, claiming the manufacturer, ghilliesuits.com was aware the suits were flammable, even with the flame retardant spray. For Jeremy, life will never be the same. He has 3rd and 4th degree burns over more than 60 percent of his body. His right hand can't throw a football to his son, and he gets tired easily. "Every morning when I look in the mirror i'm still shocked', Ehart said.

It's hard for Jeremy. People stare, wondering why he looks like, in his words, a "freak". But he has a new mission, hoping to save someone else from misery. "This shouldn't have happened, it could have been prevented, make sure it never happens again".

KAKE News contacted the defendants named in the lawsuit. No one would comment because the case is pending.