On a Nov. 9, 2006, patrol, a homemade device exploded near Ryan Major?s squad. The Towson High School graduate lost both legs and sustained other serious injuries, including broken arms and substantial blood loss. Major was stationed in Ramadi ? called by Iraqis “the graveyard for Americans” ? in his second tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Major, 22, earned a first-class flight to Walter E. Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, where he recovered, and then moved to Maryland Medical Center in early January. Major received his second Purple Heart Medal and has begun learning to walk on his prosthetic legs and putting together a new life to accommodate his drastically altered body.
“He?s currently at Shock Trauma in Baltimore, but he is improving,” his mother, Lorrie Major, said. “He?s talking and eating better. … We?re hoping he?ll be transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington by the end of the week.”
Major?s treatment has prevented him from getting out much or granting interviews in the months since his injury, but friends and family rallied, holding a bull-roast fundraiser earlier this month in Major?s honor to help the family pay for medical accommodations not covered by the military. The bull roast sold out in three weeks. Seven hundred people, some of who had never met Major, came to support the soldier.
“This is great; I think it?s fantastic that it turned out this way,” said former classmate Davey Truscello. “It?s exactly what Ryan deserves.”
The night raised an estimated $80,000 for The Ryan C. Major Foundation. The military paid for much of Major?s treatment, but not the accommodations to his home and vehicle.
The cost for the vehicle modifications and training to use them could easily top $2,000, said Karen Amoyal, driving rehabilitation specialist with Good Samaritan Hospital.
“The overwhelming support from the entire community was truly heartwarming,” Feeney said.
Walter Reed has treated 315 amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan as of Jan. 17, according to Military.com.
Though he has largely been confined to hospitals, Lorrie Major said her son seems to be recovering at a faster rate. “He?s a man of incredible strength.”
