Freedom That Cost an Arm & Leg | Army Rangers Leroy Petry, Matt Watters, & John Lovell

SFC Pete Kain LCDR (Join to see) SGT James Murphy Sgt (Join to see) SGT Mark Anderson SFC(P) Palmer Utley SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SGT Steve McFarland Maj Kim Patterson SPC Michael Oles SR SSG Michael Noll ] SGT Joseph Cabra SPC Jon O. ] MSgt David Hoffman Maj Robert Thornton Sgt John H. Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SSgt Terry P. 1stSgt Glenn Brackin

TSgt Joe C. PO3 Steven Sherrill CW3 Kevin Storm SSG (Join to see) SGM Steve Wettstein SMSgt Thor Merich MSG (Join to see) PO1 John Johnson MAJ Ken Landgren LTC Greg Henning PVT Mark Zehner MSG Tom Earley Alan K. SPC Mark Huddleston PO1 H Gene Lawrence SGT Elizabeth Scheck Sgt Deborah Cornatzer SSgt Boyd Herrst SPC Diana D. SPC Nancy Greene

Kudos to Army Ranger John Lovell who is the founder of the Warrior Poet Society and Army Rangers Matthew Watters and Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry.

Thank you, my friend CW5 Jack Cardwell for posting the documentary testament as "Army Rangers Matthew Watters and Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry to discuss the hardships caused by war and how to keep winning in spite of major setbacks. Both Watters and Petry served with John Lovell in Afghanistan and Iraq and now pour their lives into helping veterans through Mission Outdoors and Halo for Freedom Foundation, respectively."

Matt and Leroy share stories of how they were wounded and how it affected them once back home. Seeking counseling, keeping loved ones close, and finding purpose beyond military service are a few key components they mention to help them leverage their personal situations for the betterment of others.

Matthew Watters joined the military after graduating from high school in 1997, and went on his first tour to Afghanistan in 2002. He deployed again to Iraq in 2003 with the 1st Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

In 2003, Sergeant Watters, a team leader, was on a raid on a terrorist training camp in Western Iraq when he was struck in the leg by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG). He immediately lost his left leg below the knee and sustained severe damage to his right leg and left arm. He was transported to Landstuhl, Germany, where his wife Lindsey was waiting. After enduring numerous surgeries and physical therapy he was able to return to his home state of Washington where he received his first prosthetic, which was the hardest part of his recovery.

Leroy Petry also joined the Army after high school. Completing the Ranger Indoctrination Program, he was deployed several times to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. During his seventh deployment in 2008, Petry was a member of a team on a mission to capture a Taliban target in Paktia Province. Despite being wounded in both legs by gunfire, Petry continued to fight and give orders. When a grenade landed between him and two other soldiers, Petry grabbed it and attempted to throw it away from them. He saved the soldiers' lives but the grenade exploded, severing his right hand.

Petry became the second recent living recipient of the medal for the war in Afghanistan in 2011 when he received the award from U.S. President Barack Obama. Opting to reenlist in spite of his injury, Petry remained on active duty in the U.S. Army until his retirement on 29 July 2014."