SOUTH OTSELIC – A benefit to aid Plymouth resident Bill Buckley and the Buckley family will be held at noon Saturday at the South Otselic American Legion, Valley View Road. In May, Buckley was the victim of an assault that resulted in serious injuries requiring more than seven hours of major reconstructive surgery.

According to Buckley’s wife, Sue, her husband – a Son of the American Legion – was preparing the South Otselic Legion for its annual Memorial Day barbecue when he was attacked by 38-year-old Michael Thiel. Bill, she added, “didn’t have a chance to defend himself,” as he was rendered unconscious after the first punch. Thiel continued to strike her husband, said Buckley, “punching him like he was a punching bag.”

Emergency responders on the scene said Bill “needed to be transported to the hospital at once,” she added. Minutes later, they said he required transport to an upstate trauma unit and had to be airlifted as soon as possible.

“He was having great difficulty breathing because of all the blood, they had to intubate him,” stated Buckley. “His face was so swollen ... his face was bleeding from everywhere. His eyes were swollen shut, his nose was definitely broken and his lips were so swollen they didn’t even look like lips.”

Her husband, she added, suffered multiple broken bones, including his eye sockets, nose, cheek bones and jaw. Following seven hours of surgery, he now has seven plates, a number of screws and mesh screens secured to his face; medications, food and drink were administered through a plastic syringe for days and he is still on a soft diet due to the damage to his teeth, which may have to be pulled.