Veteran Attends TMF Veterans Retreat Straight From Walter Reed
After a year of hosting virtual events for the nation’s recalibrated veterans, the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat was happy to host our heroes in person, including Amanda.
Amanda is an Army veteran from Indiana who spent nearly 10 years serving our country. She came to the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat straight from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where she spent the last two years.
After her second deployment, Amanda landed a job as a recruiter in the Active Guard Reserve. While on the job, Amanda was traveling for drill weekend on a stormy afternoon. All other branches of the military canceled drill, except for the Army. Amanda pulled to the side of the road to get something out of the trunk, when a car hit her from behind, crushing her in between both vehicles. Her leg was crushed and everything was severed, except for her nerves. A few months later, after constant infections and several surgeries to try to salvage her limb, it was amputated on April 1, 2019.
“My favorite part of the retreat was trying to find my new self,” Amanda said. “My body was still in this fight or flight moment the whole time because it was expecting to be going back to Walter Reed at any moment; I had just left there completely a few days prior.”
At the retreat, Amanda appreciated the opportunity to challenge herself on the “Confidence Course.”
“That was really cool and it pushed my limits,” she said. “It humbled me, honestly.”
Amanda said the experience at Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat was great. She didn’t feel pressured to participate in any activities that would have made her feel uncomfortable. She also appreciated having time away from others, if that’s what she needed in a given moment.
“No one was watching my every move and no one was judging me. I could just be,” she said.
Amanda said coming to the retreat straight from Walter Reed was stressful on her body, but it helped her transition into figuring out who she was going to be in the civilian world.
You’re an inspiration, Amanda.
