Grants
Tim Wysong
After graduating, Tim Wysong decided he wanted to make a difference. For him, that meant serving his country in the Army. After basic training, Tim packed his bags and headed overseas for his first appointment in the troubled country of Afghanistan.
Though Tim was pleased to be in the Army, he found himself in dangerous situations, and within two months of his arrival, his convoy was attacked. A rocket-propelled grenade hit his leg. The door of his vehicle was blown off its hinges. While he was in severe pain and distress, he managed to hold the door up blocking further fire and saving lives.
"We were attacked by 10 to 15 men, but our gun trucks pushed them back." Tim said. "When I woke up, I was in Germany and called my mom to tell her I had lost my leg." Fortunately, Tim's leg would later be saved.
Tim's next eight months were spent in Washington D.C. enduring several surgeries to save his leg. Thankfully, the Veteran's Administration was able to make arrangements for him to come home to Reid for his rehabilitation where things started to improve.
Where he was getting a little instruction and mostly working on my own in D.C., Reid had one therapist work with me the whole session, Tim explained.
"They also got me into the therapy pool which has helped so much! Now I'm walking better, walking farther and standing longer. I made more progress at Reid in four months than I did the entire eight months before I came home!"
The positive experience Tim had at Reid inspired him to start classes at Ball State - to pursue a degree in physical therapy. Tim hopes his tragedy will provide a way for him to relate to the patients.
"I don't regret my decision at all," Tim concluded. "If I could go back, I'd do it all again."
Tim was honored by the U.S. Army with a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor for his heroism.
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