I was in the Marine Corps for 8 years and I loved every minute of it. I planned on doing 20 years, but June 26, 2006 changed that. I was hit by an IED outside of Habbaniyah, Iraq. 100 lbs. of explosives were stuffed in a culvert under the road and it was detonated directly under our vehicle. I was the lucky one that day SSgt Raymond Plouhar and Cpl Jason Morrow, both sitting inches from me, were killed.

I walked away with multiple injuries, but to me the worst one was my traumatic brain injury (TBI). People look at me and say, "Well you look fine." I am like 98 percent of service members with TBIs, I walk with a cane, but other than that I have no visible scars. Sometimes I look around and I have no idea where I am or where I am going or what I am doing. To me it is like having the beginning stages of Alzheimer's.

In our culture we see an amputee and we understand that their life is forever changed, but that is not the same for guys with TBIs. I have a service dog, Colton named after LCpl Colton Rusk (KIA). Colton gives me some independence, but things will still never be the same. At the ripe age of 30 I now realize I will always need help to function on a daily basis.