Travis Mills - Tough as They Come: A Memoir

In his book The Price of Their Blood: Profiles in Spirit, wounded Vietnam war veteran and former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown writes, For every life unraveled by military battle, there are a dozen tales of individuals who have managed to triumph over the harrowing experiences of war and ruin. After his service at the Veterans Administration, as executive director of the Disabled Veterans LIFE Memorial Foundation, Mr. Brown went on to create the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in our nations capital, the first and only memorial honoring disabled veterans. Jesse certainly lived these ideas himself, and this quote is etched on a glass panel as part of this tribute to injured U.S. service members from all wars.

These words perfectly describe my friend, United States Army Staff Sergeant, Travis Mills.

Serving with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan during his third tour of duty, while on patrol on April 10, 2012, Travis was critically injured when the blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) took portions of his legs and both arms. He is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries. One would think that losing both arms and both legs would slow a person down. But with Travis, it seems to be just the opposite. He truly is one of those individuals who have managed to triumph over the harrowing experiences of war and ruin.

I met this incredible young man shortly after he arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and, like everyone who meets Travis, I was immediately struck by his amazingly positive outlook, his humor, his confidence, and his sense of gratitude for having survived the blast. While I am sure he has had his more challenging, discouraging, and darker moments in private, in public he never fails to spread joy and light to everyone he meets, and I know that his love for his wife, Kelsey, and daughter, Chloe, and their love for him, are motivating factors for him to get up each day with a new attitude to look forward, not back, and to take on the world.

Like the amazing Jesse Brown and his lifelong devotion to fellow disabled veterans, Travis is working to use his means to take care of a new generation of service members injured in battle. Whether speaking on behalf of his own foundation and his effort to build a retreat to assist wounded service members and their families, or traveling to raise awareness and funding for other military charities, Travis is constantly serving and honoring the needs of his brothers and sisters in arms. Personally, I am inspired by this resilient warrior, am proud to know him, and honored that he is an ambassador of the Gary Sinise Foundation.

In the pages that follow, I know that you also will be inspired by Traviss storya story of hope and resilience. It is a reminder that no matter what life may throw at us, as long as we never give up, never quit, as Travis says, we can achieve anything we set our hearts and minds to. He is quite simply a great American and an example for us all.

Gary Sinise