Joining the Marines was a natural choice for Brad Ivanchan. He joined the Marines on his 19th birthday. “My grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII," Brad told us. "And he was someone I had always looked up to.”

Brad was deployed to Iraq in 2009, serving as a turret gunner and providing escort security for an explosive ordinance disposal team. He went on to become a machine gun team leader in Southeast Asia before earning the rank of Corporal in 2012. He became a squad leader serving in Afghanistan for Weapons Platoon with 12 Marines under his command, carrying out combat foot patrols across one of the most dangerous regions—Helmand Province.

On the night of June 13, 2012, Brad's squad of ten men and an interpreter were conducting a night patrol when Brad stepped on a hidden bomb. The explosion amputated Brad's right leg below the knee and shredded his left leg to his lower thigh. His left arm and hand were also mangled.

"The heroic actions of the squad are the only reason I am here," he explained.

But the bravery of his fellow Marines rushing to his aid tripped more hidden bombs, leading to even more devastation.

"While trying to help me, two other members of my squad triggered a second IED." The blast caused multiple casualties and injured half the squad with fragmentation wounds, brain injuries, and amputations.

"It also resulted in the death of my friend Cpl. Taylor Baune."

Brad endured six surgeries to rebuild his left hand and treat multiple bacterial infections in both legs.

“This was undoubtedly the hardest period of my life," he remembered. "To go from a 23 year-old healthy, athletic guy to having to depend on a team of people just to bathe and go to the bathroom was initially devastating to me."

On top of that, Brad was wrestling with the emotional burden of what happened that night. "I was also mourning the loss of life and injuries of the other men in my squad who I felt responsible for.”

Brad’s parents took leave from their jobs to help his recovery. They took shifts sleeping in his hospital room every night.

"I can remember screaming to the point of tears some nights and there would be nothing the medical staff could do because I had exceeded my morphine allotment."

His parents remained by his side through all the darkest days.

"My dad would sit by my bed and squeeze my hand, repeating the Lord’s Prayer over and over again in my ear." Brad remembered. "I could tell he felt helpless and in these moments he still saw me as his little boy. He didn’t know what else to do so his Catholic upbringing kicked in. It helped me more than he knew.”

In this dark period of Brad's recovery, he found himself without hope. A member of the hospital staff shared stories of other severely wounded heroes who had endured similar struggles, but had overcome their injuries to achieve remarkable feats.

This resonated deeply with Brad.

He began his rehabilitation and recovery journey with new determination and optimism. "I started walking three months after my injury. And five months after that I became the first double amputee in history to climb Mt. Aconcagua."

This astonishing accomplishment meant one, very important thing to Brad. "It proved that my life is not defined by my injury.”