Rebuilding Warriors

At the end of 2005, I decided I wanted to join the military, for a better life for my family and as an adventure for me. I went to a recruiter and told him I watch the news a lot and I wanted to be in the fight and on the front line.

On February 16, 2006, I left for Fort Benning, Georgia to start my basic training as an Infantryman. In June of the same year, I graduated and got stationed with the Celta Company1/506^th Inf of the 101^st in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I joined my unit in Ramadi, Iraq and did the four months of deployment they had remaining in the tour.

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In April of 2008, I went on my second deployment to Wardak, Afghanistan. On October 18, 2008, after a three day long mission in the valley of Jalrez, my company came under RPG, IED, and small arms fire. An RPG round hit a foot away from my face and the explosion put me in a comma for a month, with two years of surgery and other treatments.

As a result of the blast I lost two fingers on my left hand and the other two were paralyzed. I also lost complete hearing in my left ear and a great deal of hearing in my right ear, which now needs a hearing aid. I lost eye sight in my left eye, received multiple fractures in that eye socket, and have scars all over my arms and face.

After getting out of the military, I dedicated myself to raising my kids and letting them see that even though I went through a lot of stuff, I will never let them see me down. I always try to be their best example.

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Jeff Anderson
CEO/Founder, Rebuilding Warriors