Table of Contents
To my family and friends, who were, and are always there for me. Especially my mom, who spent thirteen months by my side at Walter Reed. To the people of Chicago who warmly welcomed me at my homecoming and accepted me as I am and continue to support me. To the soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, in the hope that they may find some little bit of wisdom in these pages that may help them in some small way.
Life for you has been less than kind
So take a number, stand in line
Weve all been sorry, weve all been hurt
But how we survive is what makes us who we are
Rise Against, The Sufferer & the Witness, Survive
FOREWORD
By Gary Sinise
I first met Bryan Anderson in 2006, not too long after he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I have been visiting the hospital regularly since 2003, and over the years have met many severely wounded warriors. Bryan was the second triple amputee I had met there and when I walked into the physical therapy room there he was, up on his legs and smiling, eager to tell me his story and with the most amazing and upbeat attitude.
It turned out that we are both originally from Illinois and we shared stories of familiar places where we had grown up. His spirit was infectious and I was immediately drawn to him. In the picture included here, you can see that smilea smile that immediately put everyone he came in contact with at ease.
Bryan knew that for most visitors to the hospital, coming in contact with someone who was missing both his legs and an arm might be difficult, so he went out of his way to joke and laugh and go on as if nothing was different. He had begun to accept what had happened to him and was looking toward the futurea future of what he could do, not what he couldnt do.
That positive attitude of living each moment of ones life for everything its worth is at the core of who Bryan Anderson is.
After that first meeting, I would see Bryan from time to time back at the hospital or at other events around the countrylike the Friday night dinners for wounded warriors at Fran OBriens restaurant, hosted by Vietnam veteran Hal Koster, or back in Illinois at the USO gala or at a concert I was playing with my band, the Lt. Dan Band. Whenever I can, I try to let Bryan know where I am going to be and am always thrilled to see him at an event or concert.
And then, in January 2007, there he is on the cover of Esquire magazine! Clearly his story caught the attention of the national media, and for good reason. It is a harrowing and inspiring story and Bryan is an exceptional individual. The Esquire story also caught the attention of my fellow producers on CSI: NY and they asked if I knew him. Boom! Bryan was featured as a murder suspect in one of our episodes. Hes a natural.
In April 2009, on another visit to Walter Reed, I met Brendan Marrocco, the first soldier to survive losing all four limbs in a bombing in Iraq. As I drove away from the hospital, I called Bryan and told him about Brendan. I thought perhaps he could help and asked if there was any way that he could visit him.
Within days, Bryan was at Brendans bedside and I know that for Brendan, having Bryan there at that critical stage was extremely helpful. To Bryan, this was a no-brainer. Of course he would go, as he has taken what has happened to him and turned it into motivation for others.
Whenever I see Bryan, he renews my faith that anything, no matter how tough it is, can be overcome. It is because of men and women like Bryan, those who have given so much in service to our country, that I am constantly energized to keep up the important work on behalf of our service members through the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Bryan Anderson is just simply a great American who inspires me and I am proud to call him my friend. It is an honor to know him and I am thrilled that he has decided to share his story in this wonderful book so that more of our fellow citizens will have the chance to know him as well.
God Bless.
Gary Sinise
July 27, 2011
AUTHORS NOTE
Hi, Im Bryan Anderson. Before you dig into this book, there are a few things I think you should know. First, I was a soldier, and I still talk like onein other words, I swear. So if bad words bother you, just squint and pretend you dont see them.
Second, I know that some people see a book by a triple-amputee veteran and make a lot of assumptions. I want you to know this book is not about the war in Iraq, and Im not pushing a political agenda. This book is about my experiences and what Ive learned from them.
Third, I know what I believe about God, but this books not about that either. Im not trying to sell you on religion or talk you out of it. Ive got no ax to grind there.
Fourth, even though Im going to tell you about the day I was wounded and what I went through during rehab at Walter Reed, this book is not just some war memoir or a pity party. Im not looking for praise or sympathy. I just want to share some of my stories with you.
This book is not about being wounded. Its not about struggling.
This book is about living.
Its about life.
ALIVE DAY
On the day I got blown up, it was hot as hell. It was about eleven oclock in the morning on October 23, 2005, in sunny downtown Baghdad, Iraq, and if I had to guess, Id say it was a hundred and thirty degrees in the shade.
I was a specialist in the U.S. Army, 411th Military Police Company. Me and my guys were on our second tour in Iraq. Wed been designated as the commanders escort. We were like a personal security detail for our commanding officer, who wed nicknamed Captain America because whatever happened anywhere in Baghdad, he just wanted to be in the thick of it. Whenever anything happened, he was like Lets go! I want to do this! I want to get involved! I wanna conquer the world!
Before you get the wrong idea, let me just say that I think his attitude was not a good thing. In my opinion, he was putting our lives in danger for no reason, just because he wanted people to think he was a hands-on kind of leader.
The reason wed gotten stuck on that crap detail was that wed worked with him once, and hed said, You know what? These are the people that I want to come out with me. They know their shit, they know what theyre doing. Our punishment for being competent was getting to babysit him everywhere he went for the next year. Lucky us.
Its not like he didnt have plenty of other people to choose from. A company is roughly 150 soldiers, divided into four platoons, all doing a variety of missions. As MPs (military police officers), we had several tasks: We were training Iraqi police officers at the police academy. We were also going out to the police stations and teaching them basic upkeep; we taught them to maintain clean jail cells and how to stock enough food, ammunition, weapons, vehicles, and other supplies. We made sure they knew how to do a patrol and how to do a raid.
Other MPs handled transport security, such as MSR patrol, which is guarding a main supply route. In other words, if there was a main road that our troops traveled on a lot, wed drive up and down it, making sure people werent laying IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and stuff like that. Some folks manned the gate and guarded the base. Everybody had a job to do.
