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"Don't pity me," retired Staff Sgt. Travis Mills told hundreds of
Soldiers who came to listen to the former 82nd Airborne Division
Soldier who lost portions of both arms and legs and nearly his life
in Afghanistan four years ago.
Mills, who is now an advocate
for veterans and disabled service members worldwide, spoke February 29,
2016 at a U.S. Army Military District of Washington-sponsored Ready and
Resilient event at Conmy Hall, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
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February 9, 2016 - Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills talks to
hundreds of Soldiers about resilience at a U.S. Military District of Washington-sponsored program at Conmy Hall, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. The former 82nd Airborne Soldier is now an advocate for veterans and disabled service members worldwide. (U.S. Army photo by
David Vergun, Defense Media Activity - Army)
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THE FATEFUL DAY
On April 10, 2012, while
on dismounted patrol on his third tour in Afghanistan, Mills
triggered a buried improvised explosive device.
Two
of his buddies were injured as well, he said.
Mills
was blown into the air. When he landed, bloody and dazed, he
said he quickly assessed the situation and when the medic
came, "I told them to fix those two guys first. I've seen
guys done in for less than my injuries and I knew I was
going to die.
"The medic told me to 'let me do my
job,'" he said.
The medic applied multiple
tourniquets to Mills and within 20 seconds, all the bleeding
had stopped. "He saved my life."
Several others who
had been injured were medically evacuated to Kandahar. One
guy, who lost one of his testicles, was screaming. "I calmed
him down," Mills said, adding that later that Soldier had a
child and "he named the kid after me."
Mills said he
was thankful to make it to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he
got immediate medical attention. The medical staff is so
good there that 99 percent of those who make it to Kandahar
alive survive. Mills said his other two buddies survived
their injuries, which were much less serious than his.
ANGER THEN HOPE
Mills admitted that at
first, he felt a lot of anger and embarrassment at what
happened to him. He was married with an infant girl at the
time, and said he thought to himself that when the little
girl grows up, she'll think he's a monster because of his
disfigurement. He said he even questioned his religion.
The doctors, nurses and physical therapists at Walter
Reed National Medical Center were attentive and gave him a
lot of hope to go on, as did Marine Cpl. Todd Nicely.
Mills said he became buddies with Nicely, who lost all
four limbs. Nicely told him to be patient and with modern
technology, "you will soon be able to feed yourself, walk,
run, you name it. That was very inspiring."
GOALS
IMPORTANT
Rather than wallow in sorrow, Mills
said he then began to set goals, the first being to feed
himself with his one artificial hand, attached to part of
his remaining left arm. Within five weeks, he said, he could
feed himself and that was a big morale booster.
Next,
Mills set out to walk. Within two weeks, using crutches, he
was walking. The first day, he walked three laps around the
track at Walter Reed.
The next day, Mills told his
nurse who was with him that he wanted to ditch the crutches
and do it on his own. The nurse strongly advised him not to.
Mills said his can-do airborne training kicked in and he
threw away the crutches and promptly fell down on his face.
The nurse started crying, she was so distraught, he
said. She later told him that after the first day of
walking, the muscles are sore and the second day is much
harder than the first.
But as the days turned into
weeks, Mills began walking on his own.
He then heard
about a 5-kilometer walk being held in New York City and he
thought that would be a pretty neat goal so he entered.
After a couple miles, the sockets of his prosthetics
were rubbing his limbs raw and the pain was so intense going
through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel that he decided when he
got through the tunnel he'd rest and call it a day.
But when he emerged from the darkness of the tunnel,
hundreds of firefighters, many of whom had rescued people
from the Twin Towers on 9-11, were there cheering him on.
"No way would I sit down. So I finished the course."
His next goal was to be at the airport when his unit arrived
from Afghanistan. He said he wanted to greet them all and
personally tell them that he was alright.
Meeting
them was an emotional moment for him, he said. He hugged the
medic who'd saved his life.
And, Mills' final goal
was to learn to drive. He said he tools around in an F250,
using a joy stick and other gadgets to maneuver.
DON'T PITY YOURSELF
A lot of people tell Mills
he's a hero for making the ultimate sacrifice. "But, I
didn't make the ultimate sacrifice, he said, naming some in
his unit who were killed in Afghanistan around the time he
was there.
They are the ones that won't see their wives and
children again. "I'm the lucky one. I'm with my wife and
will watch my daughter grow up. My parents come over for the
holidays. Those who didn't make it home paid the ultimate
sacrifice. I'm thankful and blessed to still be here to talk
about it. Don't look at me with pity."
FULFILLMENT IN HELPING OTHERS
Today, Mills is
helping others through his Travis Mills Foundation. He has a
resort in Maine where he invites wounded vets and their
families for camping, fishing, hiking, snowboarding,
mountain biking and all sorts of activities.
"I want them to be able to experience
the full joys of life and to know that their disabilities
are not the end of the world," he said.
By David Vergun, Defense Media Activity - Army
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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