I've been blown up five times in all, three in vehicles and twice on foot. I May of 2010 I was working the initiator of an IED and it detonated in my hands, explosively amputating the distal joints of three fingers on my left hand. I rehabbed quickly and deployed for the sixth combat tour in October 2010. On January 11, 2011 I wasstruck by a ten pound, pressure-initiated device that tore off both of my legs above the knees. 

MEDEVAC was conducted with the quickness, and Afghan National Police (ANP) truck saw some of my personal effects go flying in the blast so they sped up in their "Danger Ranger" truck and loaded my team, an I Co 3/5 corpsman and myself into the vehicle and drove through the Sangin bazaar mid-day to get me to the trauma facility aboard FOB Jackson in the distric center of Sangin.Learning to play the guitar excitesme quite a bit, i've always had a wide interest in most forms of music i've come across.

I deftly enjoy pairing music with activities for the catalystic effect it has on a time or a event. I've heard the portion of the brain that controls music is the largest of any in the brain and that learning to play an instrument and channel one's creativity through this path could very well be classified as one of the greatest joys in life. At least I suspect!!

How I feel the art of creating music in relation to my identity as a US Marine is as such: I believe that before we choose any paths or create our identities in life we all share thehighest common denominator of being human beings first. So it's at this level where our creativity and expression come from, while being strongly influenced by our places and experiences in life. My time thus far in the service of Our Great Nation has lent me the chance to live life to an exhilarating degree. I have served with and made lasting friendships with some of the greatest men ever. It has allowed me the most rewarding times in my life and also the worst. It has shown me some of the serious low points of behavior in human beings and with that being said, it has shown the opposite to be true and enjoy so much fuller all the the blessings we do have as a people and a nation.

All of this will surely influence my creative outputon the guitar and I hope to be able to find out how to translate whats inside to the musical voice on the guitar. A few times in my life i've experienced profound connection to a song, when the lyrics spell out so fully what I hold dear, a musicians ability to effect this is a true gift. I feel very blessed to be able to play! With the loss of the my legs it really shows how much our ability of simple movement is a true blessing in and of itself. Jumping, running, dancing, loving a woman-our simple ability to do these things gets taken for granted and are sometimes not cherished for how much they truly mean. My ability to still play the guitar is awesome and I am very glad to be able to share in this!