LOST IDENTITY.

I have been a soldier for 35 years (20 years active and 15 years as a defense contractor), and when I lost my leg the military was taken away from me. I lost who and what I was. I spent many nights trying to figure out what will I do now that I don’t have an identity, what is my worth and how will I move forward.

Then I remembered how I used puppets in Iraq and how it helped the kids accept the Americans and they provided much needed intelligence. So I got a puppet, and my Prosthetic pro made a prosthetic leg for him. As I used Bubbles and Timmy to create a story, I realized that my talent, skills, intelligence, humor and personality is who I am, and that the military was just an environment. I never lost my identity I just changed my environment.

That realization changed my perspective of my amputation and now I am once again whole and can put my talents and skills to work in a new environment. Thank you to all who have helped me along the way.