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'Worst nightmare': Falmouth airman struggling to recover after brutal assault

FALMOUTH, Mass. — An airman from Falmouth serving his country in Alaska was brutally assaulted at a bar.

The parents of that airman say his future career with the military is in jeopardy because of what they called an unprovoked, violent attack.

“It was a parent’s worst nightmare phone call,” Michael Duggan explained.

The phone call came from their son Seth Duggan. He was barely conscious with a brain bleed, in a hospital in Alaska – 4,000 miles away from his parents’ Falmouth home.

“No one wants to see that for their child. No one,” said Karen Duggan.

Seth is stationed at the joint base in anchorage where he's a flight crew chief with the Air Force.

On August 6, police say he was at a local bar with fellow airmen when a man suddenly threw a punch.

“He was headed to the men’s room, someone came up, pushed him from behind, and the next thing he knows, he's in the hospital,” explained Michael.

The Duggans say Seth's skull was fractured in three places. Even a month later, he's battling memory and hearing loss.

“It was devastating. He's 22 years old, in peak physical condition, and all of a sudden now I've got my son walking with a cane,” said Karen.

As the family struggles with why this happened, they were shocked to learn the suspect is a New England native as well.

Anchorage police arrested Nicholas Brett last week for felony assault. He grew up near Concord, New Hampshire and is a UMass grad.

“Shock. You know it's a small world, New Hampshire, our neighbor next door, it's like what are the odds?” said Michael.

But now, they're focused on helping their son recover and go back to work for the job and country he loves.

As for the man who they say changed so many lives, that night Seth's mother has a message for Brett.

“Let him know that I'm going to pray for him, that his life gets better. That it gets better in some way so he doesn't need to be so angry,” said Karen.

Brett is due in court in Alaska Tuesday.