Sean and Rusty's dream!




Rusty my service dog and I have had a crazy life together so far.  In retrospect I am amazed in how much we have accompished together.  He has been by my side through some rough times.  I grew up in New City, NY.  After 9/11 I enlisted in the Marine Corps to avenge my friends and country as I felt obligated.  Admittedly, I  think due to the proximity of where I grew up I felt the impact more then most.  

At  the end includes a brief narration I wrote in college of how I was wounded.

I was taught by my father to be a hard worker and he always led by example.  I worked in the family busy while in highschool and also played a wide range of sports which included football, wrestling, and lacrosse.  I took pride in being dedicated to all that I did.  My father and I bonded greatest when we were in the outdoors.  Some of my fondest memories are on the water with my family exploring various rivers, fishing, swimming, and crabbing.

Even though I had been accepted to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (for my love of the water) I decided I felt very strongly in serving my country and took action by joing the U.S. Marine Corps. I always strive to do my best which causes unecessary stress and anyone who knows me personally can vouch for that!  I entered the military the fall after I graduated highschool and I enlisted for one thing and one thing only: to fight for my country, resulting in a infantry MOS.  Primarily I was an anti-tank assaultman, deployed first to Haiti for a humanitarian mission.  After this I worked my way into the Elite U.S. Scout Snipers.  Deploying for my first combat tour I came home unscathed.  Continuing my climb into the elite, I became part of the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion.  Unfortunately this deployment proved much more deadlier then the previous two due to increased terrorist activity in Iraq during that time.  Within three months of this deployment I was struck by two roadside bombs.  Weeks later while leading a raid into a terrorist held warehouse I was shot four times.  The first bullet penetrated my skull, another passed through my left shoulder, and the other two hit my legs.  One of them penetrated my right leg following into my left leg. I was also hit with grenade fragments  mainly penetrating my right elbow but scattered among wherever my vest did not cover.  This night my entire life changed.  Since that night medical treatment took over my life and for an entire year I was lectured by doctors who said I would never walk again.  Although I was frustrated over how things turned out for me,  I felt I disappointed my family the most.  This motivated me and after a year of being wheel chair bound and having a plate inserted into my skull for proctection I was ready. I decided I had no choice but to walk.  Hopefully this would be the first step in figuring out what I wanted out of this changed life of mine.  Getting back on my feet (literally) has been one of my greatest accomplishments of my life after being wounded.  Although I wear a brace on my left leg I manage to functionally walk from day to day.  Of course there are struggles which people do not always see or understand but I try my hardest to live a normal life.  I have promised myself I will do everything I can to stay walking for as long as possible.  The best thing that has happened to me since being wounded is Rusty. We do everything together and he has proven that a dog can truly be man's best friend.  We've trained together and I basically learned to walk again with him by my side every step of the way and I wouldn't of had it any other way.   


I do take full responsibiliy for what happened because I was fighting for my country, my family and my friends all by choice.  Therefore I hesitate greatly when asking for help.  Over the years even after accomplishing various college degrees including a undergraduate in biology, psychology and art, a paralegal certification,  an almost finished MBA before medical issues interupted my progress,  I still feel like something is missing and I can do more.   After some reflection and frustration with my disabilities in the working world I decided to pursue something I truly have a passion for, and even more I can still enjoy.  I decided to obtain my OUPV Captain's license with the intention to pursue charter fishing and/or dinner cruises.  Simply put I need capital to start a business that I can productively do and enjoy.  I've been lucky enough to enjoy some really great opportunities in my life up until this point, and have made it a point not to ask for much. Now I know what I want to do in life.

My plan is to purchase a 27ft Ranger Tug or Cutwater that I can create a business with.  The services I would like to provide to potential clients include fishing charters, sunset cruises, or just renting a boat with a captain for a day for whatever the client would like to to.  Ranger Tug boats are very user-friendly which is a plus for the clients but for myself as well. The boat allows me with my wounds to provide a  great service for others but also will help keep my purpose in society using the knowledge and foresight to provide a safe experience I believe people will enjoy.  I need to turn what happened to me into a positive factor in my life, to motivate others, for my fallen friends and me personally.  My life is not over.  It is time for me to get back to living.  Thank you so much for your support!  This is a dream come true.

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As a Reconnaissance Scout Sniper, I have been combat deployed three times in my first three years in the United States Marine Corp. during wartime. My perspective of humanity changed drastically during this time. Who I was with and what I was doing demonstrates the person I am. I was the designated point man.  As I led the way into the open area ahead, I reached for the far wall guiding me into the darkness of the center of the warehouse. I shined the light on my gun throughout the room, noticing eyes lighting up. Surrounding the focal point, I noticed movement inside the window; I started to fire and yell “Over there,” using my light as a pointer to let the Marines behind me know where something was happening. I heard Al Qaeda yelling their battle prayer above their screaming machine guns. Because of this I became aware of the full situation at hand. The corpsman behind me was fatally wounded; the muzzle flash from him being shot gave away the position of the machine gun, saving my life. I was trapped on the far side of the warehouse. Already receiving two bullet wounds, I fired toward the muzzle flash at the same time, killing the machine gunner and took cover. Then silence. An exploding grenade broke into the second firestorm. The blast and shrapnel hit me in the arm causing me to lose feeling in my index finger and thumb. Using my middle finger to return fire, I mainly sprayed down the alleyway in which the insurgents were hidden, killing another insurgent. Frantically turning back toward the doorway when a skull crushing explosion went off, I fell. I was barely conscious and mainly paralyzed. Inhaling the dirt, dust, and gun smoke of the gunfight, I noticed movement down the alleyway. Most likely thinking I was dead,
or scared for his life, another insurgent took off down the alleyway. For fear of what was going to happen next, thoughts started to rush through my head. Being isolated, I knew the truth of this event would never be fully exposed to my family, unless I lived. In and out of consciousness, my nightmares started. This event happened the night of May 16th, 2006. I suffered four bullet wounds and shrapnel wounds throughout my body. Although many explosions occurred, the explosion I spoke about was when I was shot in the head through my helmet causing me to have a “Traumatic Brain Injury,” or TBI that paralyzed half of my body. This event replays through my mind every day; I am no longer the person I used to be. Since being wounded, I have surpassed all expectations from doctors, and will continue to recreate myself by putting this experience behind me and finding out what I will truly do with my life.  Doctors told me I would never walk again; my entire left part of my body was paralyzed from the bullet lodged in my brain. After about a year of physical therapy, myself being stubborn and impatient, I started to work out on my own like I used to before this injury. My work ethic is one of pride; I always prized myself on outdoing or exhausting other people on any task, small or big. I still worked out at physical therapy but worked one hundred times harder at home. If the doctors knew what I was doing they would not approve. Knowing doctors did not know as much as they thought they did; I already proved them wrong. Confident in this idea, I continued on with my routine and succeeded in walking against all odds. I still have minor problems getting around but I will never stop working to get better.


http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20070930/new-hanover-regional-gives-veterans-quality-care-closer-to-their-homes

http://www.eonline.com/uk/shows/fashion_police/photos/5388/2012-cmt-awards-arrivals/195405


https://www.bassmaster.com/news/wounded-soldier-leaves-klein-impressed

http://www.aana.com/aboutus/inservicesofourcountry/Documents/celebrating-military-crnas-1116nb.pdf

https://www.reverbnation.com/christophercurrie/song/26198948-dying-to-live-for-usmcss-sean-debevoise

http://www.prweb.com/releases/hopeforthewarriors/nasdaqbell/prweb10266554.htm