Sebastian Gallegos, 21, was wounded while serving in Afghanistan.
A land mine caused the accident. Gallegos said he stepped over the land mine, but his friend, who was walking behind him, stepped on it. Gallegos said he was blown into a canal.
He lost his right arm. His friend didn't make it.
Gallegos said his life has changed since the accident. He now has a prosthetic, and says he sometimes struggles with little things, like buttons and zippers.
"I made this coin rack in therapy and I wanted to surprise her [his wife Tracie] one day and try to put it up by myself," Gallegos said. "I dropped it so many times I broke it just trying to put it up, but I bought one on Amazon so it worked out for the best. "
He said it has been a humbling experience that has taught him about himself.
"Everyday I get a little bit better about asking for help," he said.
Gallegos is one of thousands of service members who have been wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11. Organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and Trophy Club Salutes Wounded Warriors Inc. are working to make injured service members' transitions back into civilian life as smooth as possible.
"I remember I woke up in the hospital and I had all this Wounded Warrior Project stuff," Gallegos said.
The WWP is a non-profit organization that helps raise awareness of wounded service members returning from war. It donates 82 percent of the money it collects to the person in need.
TCSWW is a non-profit that supports the WWP. It is a brand new organization and one of its first goals was to raise $165,000 for the WWP.
"Somebody has to step up and say thank you for what you do," TCSWW president Gene Popik said.
TCSWW surpassed its goal of $165,000 at its event this past Friday and Saturday. The event consisted of a silent auction, which brought in $17,000, a 5k run/walk, two golf tournaments, tennis tournaments and a country western concert with Amber Leigh, Charlie Robinson, Aaron Watson and Mark Chestnutt.
Runner and personal trainer Stephanie Turner came out to the 5k to support the troops. She came in first place out of all females with a time of 20:34, but she said for her it was about more than the race.
"There are a lot of ways to show your support," Turner said, "but this way directly helps the guys that have been injured in the line of duty."
Representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars were also at the event. VFW member and current commander of the post in Roanoke, Texas, Jim Benotti, is a Vietnam veteran. He said returning to the U.S. after Vietnam was terrible.
"We weren't welcome at all when we came home," Benotti said.
Retired Marine Corps Four-Star General Terrance Dake also attended the event. Gen. Dake said he fought in Vietnam as well as Desert Storm. He said coming back from both wars gave him the opportunity to compare and contrast the two.
He said when he came back from Vietnam there were often recommendations that service members not wear their uniforms. When he came back from Desert Strom, he said service members were encouraged to wear their uniforms and go and speak in different places.
"It was like night and day," Gen. Dake said.
At the TCSWW event participants were waving flags, donating money and signing thank you notes on large banners that said, "Support our Troops."
"I'm real happy to see the way the country now responds to veterans of wars coming back today," Benotti said.
Participants, volunteers and sponsors said they were just trying to give a little back to those service members who have done so much for them.
"They're out there supporting us everyday," SMU alumnus Justin Rand said, while driving his golf cart to the next hole.
And they continue to inspire us even after returning home.
"It's making a difference in my life," said Zack Verspoor, who works for the Marine Corps detachment. He has only been working with the detachment for about a month, but said it has already had an affect on him.
"It makes me cherish a lot more things," Verspoor said.
Trophy Club Country Club's tennis director, David Webb, said it was great to be a part of a charity event like TCSWW. He said the importance of the event really hit him when he was able to see the wounded warriors in person.
"It gave me chills when they walked in," he said.
