Army Specialist Hugo Gonzalez

US Army Specialist Hugo Gonzalez was severely injured in combat in Baqubah, Iraq on June 21, 2004. He was on patrol in a Hummer bucket truck when his unit was ambushed. The vehicle took a direct hit from an improvised explosive device (IED) and a furious gun battle broke out with insurgents.

The blast wave caused Specialist Gonzalez to suffer a traumatic brain injury, and fragments ripped into his head. He was evacuated to the base camp where he was placed in a medically-induced coma, and underwent a craniotomy to remove a piece of bone from his cranium to relieve the pressure of the swelling of his brain.

SPC Gonzalez received his mortgage-free home in Port St. Lucie, FL.

Army Master Sergeant George Vera

In his 20th year of service, in August of 2015, Master Sergeant Vera’s base came under attack from a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) driven by suicide bombers. Master Sergeant Vera exposed himself to the blast as he pulled wounded soldiers away from enemy fire. He was shot during his efforts to secure the perimeter.
Sergeant Vera suffered a spinal cord injury that resulted in paralysis. He is now confined to a wheelchair. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and a loss of his vital organs, including a kidney, and part of his liver and intestines.