"During his three combat-filled tours of duty in Afghanistan, former college sports star and skilled paratrooper U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills never once backed down from the hardest challenges that came his way. The big, likable guy literally woke up every morning proudly singing the 82nd Airborne song to encourage and motivate the men he led. But late one afternoon in April 2012 while Travis and his men were on a routine mission near a remote village in southern Afghanistan, the unthinkable happened. While patrolling for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the minesweeper missed one IED, and Travis Mills's world changed forever. In this vivid account of Travis's heroic fight for survival, he recalls the action-packed and challenging days of his earlier tours of duty with the legendary 82nd Airborne Division, the agony of encountering a hidden bomb while on patrol with his men, and his odds-defying physical and spiritual struggle afterward to come back from severe quadruple amputee injuries andrebuild his life. This searing and unforgettable true story will inspire, encourage, challenge, and motivate you forward. It shows how resilient the human spirit is, how unbreakable the will is when pressed with difficult demands, and how triumphant a person can be when tasked with the seemingly impossible. "Every day is a challenge," Travis says, "but every challenge can be overcome. I'm not wounded anymore. If you're wounded, then you're still focused on your injury. I'm just a man with scars living life to the fullest and best I know how.""--
Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple amputee injuries. This is one soldier's story.
Thousands of soldiers die year to defend their country. United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills was sure that he would become another statistic when, during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, he was caught in an IED blast four days before his twenty-fifth birthday. Against the odds, he lived, but at a severe costTravis became one of only five soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to survive a quadruple amputation.
Suddenly forced to reconcile with the fact that he no longer had arms or legs, Travis was faced with a future drastically different from the one he had imagined for himself. He would never again be able to lead his squad, stroke his fingers against his wifes cheek, or pick up his infant daughter.
Travis struggled through the painful and anxious days of rehabilitation so that he could regain the strength to live his life to the fullest. With enormous willpower and endurance, the unconditional love of his family, and a generous amount of faith, Travis shocked everyone with his remarkable recovery. Even without limbs, he still swims, dances with his wife, rides mountain bikes, and drives his daughter to school.
Travis inspires thousands every day with his remarkable journey. He doesnt want to be thought of as wounded. I'm just a man with scars, he says, living life to the fullest and best I know how.
From the Hardcover edition.
