SYCAMORE – When Sycamore High School principal Tim Carlson asked Marine Lance Cpl. Derrick Wells to speak at the school’s Veterans Day program, “Freedom is Not Free,” Wells knew immediately that he wanted to talk about his friend Adam Devine.

“Last year at Christmas time he stepped on an improvised explosive device, on Dec. 28,” the 2007 Sycamore graduate said. “He lost both his legs and shrapnel went through his torso and his arms.”

Devine, who grew up in Dixon, is the same age as Wells. The two Marines bonded during boot camp and infantry training. Devine is slowly recovering at a military hospital in Maryland, Wells said, and is hoping to return to Dixon with his wife and daughter next month. Wells plans to visit his friend when he returns.