Morris suffered from PTSD, anger issues that caused her to lash out at everyone around her, denial, and a huge case of survivor’s guilt. But she made it her goal to be able to walk down the aisle, with her new prosthetic limp, on her wedding day– something which she indeed accomplished. She too picked up the adaptive sports program and competed in the Invictus Games.
Ivan Castro was a Special Forces Major who was severely wounded by a mortar round in 2006. His left eye was enucleated, and he had a large piece of shrapnel in his right eye. While he still had sight in his right eye, surgeons worried about infection and tried to remove it. This caused permanent and total blindness. He contemplated suicide and considered taking his life in the shower where he wouldn’t leave such a mess.
But the thought of his children kept him going. He misses being independent he said, driving and being able to pick out his own clothes. Like all Special Operations soldiers, he misses doing the things that all SOF soldiers do. “I still need the physical challenges,” he said. “I miss sliding down the rope, and jumping out of an aircraft,” he added.
He jumped into adaptive sports and began running, biking, and even took up downhill skiing where he met and posed for pictures with Prince Harry. He competed in the Invictus Games and has returned to a typical SF lifestyle. He ran in the Marine Corps and Boston Marathons; ran with the bulls in Pamplona; and recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. He even took up shooting again and was filmed hitting targets on a range with his pistol and AR-15.
Corwin “C.J.” Collier was a college athlete who ran the 400m hurdles before he joined the Army. He was hit by a roadside bomb in 2009 that severely injured his legs. He lost 35 percent of his right hamstring and most of his right calf as well as 25 percent of his left hamstring. His right foot was permanently locked at 90 degrees. He also lost most of his right hand in the explosion.
He spoke about how difficult it was not being able to cut his own food and having his wife do it for him. He reached the point of breaking down as he was trying to walk again. His wife snapped him out of it and slapped him on the back of the head. She told him to stop feeling sorry for himself and crying in front of his son.
Corwin was soon up and about and returned to the gym with a vengeance. He is now a professional bodybuilder and competes in competitions that only judge contestants on their upper body. He hopes one day to compete in Mr. Olympia.
Christine Gardner was severely injured by an explosion in July of 2006. She suffered a traumatic brain injury that completely robbed her of her memory. A college athlete that excelled in field hockey and other sports, she didn’t remember any of her former teammates or coaches upon returning home. She also suffered from seizures related to her brain injury.
Additionally, both of her legs were severely injured. The VA conducted over 30 surgeries to try to save them. Gardner said that the “VA isn’t concerned with the quality of life.” She fought with them for six years and finally went to Mexico to have both of her legs amputated. It was there where she picked up the total cost of the operations.
She too was suicidal for a while and suffered from survivor’s guilt, since the man who saved her life was later killed in action on a subsequent deployment.
But she managed to remain heavily active and even started a sled hockey team for disabled veterans in her home state of Maine. She also runs and swims regularly. And fortunately she now has a therapy dog that warns her of impending seizures so that she can get to a safe place.
“Alive” is a great and uplifting film and a perfect addition to your Veterans Day watch list. With the 22 veterans that take their own lives every day here is a story about five, who despite the odds and their own injuries, have turned their lives around.
Photo: Wikipedia
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