Double Amputee Iraq Vet says "it's about learning to dance in the rain"

Luis Puertas is the big engine that could
U.S. Paralympics
BY SCOTTIE BIBB
MAY 14, 2013

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Retired Army Specialist Luis Puertas, a native of Orlando, has a mantra he likes to repeat to stay motivated: “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

That mantra has served him well for the past seven years.

On Sept. 20, 2006, Puertas was serving with the 4th Infantry Division in Baghdad when his convoy was hit by an explosively formed penetrator (EFP). Puertas was trapped beneath the 400 pound armored door of the Humvee in which he was traveling.

“I lost my legs instantly in that blast,” Puertas said.

He was airlifted to a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and was then transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he spent the next 14 months undergoing operations and rehabilitation.

“I wanted to recover and get out of the hospital, and get on with my life,” Puertas said. “Adaptive sports gave me the initial push I needed to get my engine rolling.”

It looks like Puertas’ engine is running at full speed, as he finished first in the 100 meters, the 200 and the 1,500-meter (above knee amputee) track events today at Warrior Games presented by Deloitte. Puertas is one of the 260 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans participating in the Warrior Games, now in its fourth year.

Prior to the start of the events, when asked how he thought he’d perform, Puertas was more than confident.

“I will win gold in every event today,” he said. “That’s how you have to think about things, in order to get them done. When you see it in your mind, you envision it. You dream about it every day. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen.”

Once Puertas decided to envision his complete rehabilitation, nothing could stop him.
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This is from the fundraiser the Orlando Nam Knights had for Luis.
Nam Knights Orlando and Homes For Our Troops Music by Bad Mannerz Two Iraq veterans offer hope after amputations
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