Sergeant Andrew Butterworth knew from a young age that he wanted to serve his country. The grandson of an Army nurse and two WWII Navy Veterans, he grew up listening to his grandparents’ military stories. After high school, he enlisted in the Army and found a brotherhood like no other.
“It ends up boiling down to the guys to your left and right. Their lives become worth more than yours, and you’ll do anything to protect them.”
In 2004, Andrew was serving in Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment when two rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) struck his vehicle. He lost his right leg and sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the blast, and still, his first impulse was to protect and defend others.
“The rocket hit my lieutenant’s left leg and my right leg. We looked at each other for a second, and I went right back to doing my job.”
This same courage and resolve served Andrew in his recovery and rehabilitation. “I remember telling my dad that it wasn’t going to stop me. I was alive, and I wasn’t going to stop living.”
Now a certified skydiver and father of three, Andrew and his wife, Julia, also an amputee from a birth defect, received the keys to their specially adapted custom HFOT home this past summer, enabling the couple to focus on their family, future, and health.
“Since moving in, we have been able to exercise more and have both lost weight. The kids love the home. They enjoy riding their bikes in circles, chasing each other around the house, and running all over the property!”
This holiday season we want you to know it is only because of you that over 400 Veterans like Andrew are rebuilding their lives in the adapted homes they need and deserve.
We hope Andrew’s story will inspire you to give back to the severely injured Veterans who served our nation with honor and distinction, and sacrificed so much on behalf of the country that we love.