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Retired airman recalls Khobar bombing, personal recovery

Retired U.S. airman Paul Blais

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (CNN) -- Paul Blais barely survived the bombing of the Khobar Towers, a U.S. Air Force barracks in Saudi Arabia, five years ago. Nineteen of his fellow servicemen did not.

The now-retired airman spent five weeks in a coma after the explosion, and several years attempting to regain his ability to walk, speak and function in society.

But Blais is back, with a new book detailing the bombing and his recovery, called "Tragedy to Triumph." The book's release coincides with word from law enforcement officials that at least 12 people will be indicted for their role in the Khobar Towers bombing.

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Blais spoke with CNN's Leon Harris about the bombing and his book.

HARRIS: Let me ask about your thoughts coming up on this, the fifth anniversary of the bombing. Is this a date that you actually mark?

BLAIS: I'm trying to forget the event as much as I can, because it meant the death of 19 of my co-workers, and I honestly don't feel that the memory of them having died on a particular day is worth keeping.

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HARRIS: Can you tell us your story and how you recovered?

BLAIS: I was misidentified at first, and it took approximately four days to positively identify me. The bad thing is that my parents were unaware as to whether I was dead or alive. And then the story just goes on that I was moved around from hospital to hospital, around the military and finally was awarded a Purple Heart at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. There is where I finally came out of my comatose state.

HARRIS: What activities are you participating in now?

BLAIS: It has been a challenge ever since just to be able to do various activities that I used to do on a regular basis and take for granted that I was doing at that particular time.

Actually, I can walk around almost perfectly. I still have trouble when I'm walking up stairs … My balance at one time was so bad that I could hardly get out of bed without making a fall.

HARRIS: You've written a book about your experience ("Tragedy to Triumph"). Why that title?

BLAIS: It was a tragedy, what I went through and the death of the 19 other airmen; and it is a triumph of the situation that I am in right now and how I have recovered from that tragic event.