The Making of a Wounded Warrior

“Why me?” It’s the one of the first questions retired US Army Staff Sergeant Luke Murphy asked after losing his right leg in an IED explosion during his second tour of Iraq in 2006.

Another question: Where do I go from here? As Staff Sgt. Murphy moved forward with his life, he applied the “crawl, walk, run” methodology that he learned from his military training. He began to focus on the things he could do, not the things he couldn’t—and today, he’s doing a lot.

“This injury, it opened so many more doors than it closed.”

After retiring from the Army, he graduated from college and wrote Blasted By Adversity: The Making of a Wounded Warrior, which chronicles his journey from surviving the IED blast to becoming an advocate for a new generation of wounded warriors.

“It disabled me, but it never broke me, and it will never define me.”

From working in the classroom to working in a physically demanding job today, Staff Sgt. Murphy found that when he was uncomfortable because of his socket and liner, it made his work that much more difficult.

When he first tried the WillowWood One system more than a year ago, he found a level of stability and comfort unlike anything he had tried before. When he didn’t have to worry about valve fails or incessant itching, he could focus on what really matters in his life.

“It’s a night and day difference.”

Staff Sgt. Murphy’s metaphor is an excellent description for his own journey. We thank him for his service to our country and to amputees everywhere.