thedrifter
06-23-09, 06:58 AM
Injured soldier is given adapted SUV
Army Sgt. Ryan Major aided by Marine group
By Jonathan Pitts
June 23, 2009
An Army sergeant from Baltimore County who lost both his legs to an explosion in Iraq has been given a specially adapted SUV, thanks to a nonprofit group headquartered in California.
Sgt. Ryan Major, a 2003 graduate of Towson High School who lives in Silver Spring, received the gray Toyota 4Runner, valued at nearly $40,000, at a ceremony at Antwerpen Toyota in Clarksville on Monday.
"This gives a much-needed boost to my independence," said Major, 22, after taking the vehicle for a test drive. "I've still got friends in Towson. Now I can come up and see them pretty much whenever I want."
Major was injured by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, in November 2006. He has been undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for the past three years, including multiple surgeries.
The sport utility vehicle has a lever system that allows Major to work the brakes and accelerator with his hands and steer with his forearms.
Minor lost three fingers and suffered nerve damage in an arm from the explosion.
Yesterday's ceremony was scheduled to accommodate his recovery from his last operation in late May. He faces at least five more procedures for a variety of conditions.
"Ryan's kind of struggle doesn't end in a few months," said Helen Toolan, a spokeswoman for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, which donated the vehicle. "It's an ongoing process. We want to continue offering help."
The fund, founded by Marine wives in Camp Pendleton, Calif., in 2004, provides financial assistance to Marines - or service members serving alongside Marines - who are wounded in combat.
Major was attached to a Marine unit when the blast occurred.
The Marine group, which has an East Coast office in Quantico, Va., has given more than 15,000 injured veterans more than $30 million in support, including specialty equipment, family assistance and specially adapted housing.
Ellie
Army Sgt. Ryan Major aided by Marine group
By Jonathan Pitts
June 23, 2009
An Army sergeant from Baltimore County who lost both his legs to an explosion in Iraq has been given a specially adapted SUV, thanks to a nonprofit group headquartered in California.
Sgt. Ryan Major, a 2003 graduate of Towson High School who lives in Silver Spring, received the gray Toyota 4Runner, valued at nearly $40,000, at a ceremony at Antwerpen Toyota in Clarksville on Monday.
"This gives a much-needed boost to my independence," said Major, 22, after taking the vehicle for a test drive. "I've still got friends in Towson. Now I can come up and see them pretty much whenever I want."
Major was injured by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, in November 2006. He has been undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for the past three years, including multiple surgeries.
The sport utility vehicle has a lever system that allows Major to work the brakes and accelerator with his hands and steer with his forearms.
Minor lost three fingers and suffered nerve damage in an arm from the explosion.
Yesterday's ceremony was scheduled to accommodate his recovery from his last operation in late May. He faces at least five more procedures for a variety of conditions.
"Ryan's kind of struggle doesn't end in a few months," said Helen Toolan, a spokeswoman for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, which donated the vehicle. "It's an ongoing process. We want to continue offering help."
The fund, founded by Marine wives in Camp Pendleton, Calif., in 2004, provides financial assistance to Marines - or service members serving alongside Marines - who are wounded in combat.
Major was attached to a Marine unit when the blast occurred.
The Marine group, which has an East Coast office in Quantico, Va., has given more than 15,000 injured veterans more than $30 million in support, including specialty equipment, family assistance and specially adapted housing.
Ellie