U.S. Marine talks about 2006 Iraq injury, recovery and nonprofit that helps injured veterans

ATLANTA - Andrew "Andy" Robinson has always been a fighter. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps ready to face any challenges that came with the job. His attitude did not waver when he was deployed to Iraq not once, but twice.

"I went to Iraq twice, once in 2004 and then another time in 2006. It's war, so you don't really know what to expect or what it's like. But it wasn't extremely scary. At that point, you're a trained professional and this is your line of work. So going to do that is something that you've been preparing for," said Robinson.

Courtesy of Andrew Robinson

Although he was prepared to fight for his country, nothing could have readied him for June 20, 2006, when a roadside bomb was detonated against his vehicle convoy. Three Marines in the truck died on impact, while Andy was thrown hundreds of yards from the vehicle and sustained severe injuries to his legs, ribs, and spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He refused to let the fight end there.

"I was in the hospital for quite a while, seven months. And then I did a lot of outpatient rehab and just kind of rebuilt my life from that day."

Andy attributes his never-give-up mindset to his unwavering belief in controlling only the things you have control over and letting fate do the rest.

"If you cannot control it, let it go. Because you can't do anything about it, look for the positive things that you can continue to be grateful for. So I was that way before I got injured. And I certainly had a lot to be grateful for after the incident, just continuing to wake up every day."

Courtesy of Andrew Robinson

Robinson says the most important part of his recovery was taking things one step at a time and remembering to appreciate the progress along the way. His positive attitude and perseverance stemmed from the fact that he was grateful to survive something so tragic in the first place. Throughout it all, he was blessed to have his mind and his ability to communicate. With these things alone, he was able to think through his next steps.

"I can go back to school, I can play sports, I can make friends with other people that are going through similar experiences, I can invest in my marriage, I can build a family, I can do just one thing at a time."

Eighteen years later, Andy has lived his life to the fullest and continues to find things to appreciate, especially his family. Andy’s wife has been by his side since before the incident, and they’ve since been blessed with two 12-year-old kids, a twin boy and girl.

Courtesy of Andrew Robinson

Disability is what drives Andy. Not only is he an amazing father to his kids, but he’s also his son’s baseball coach and an athlete himself. Andy has dabbled in a variety of wheelchair sports, but his favorite is wheelchair rugby.

He says he couldn’t have done it without Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a fund dedicated to helping injured veterans like Andy. He says the fund has made the impossible possible for him and his family and provided him with a sense of community. Through the fund, he was able to get a specialized track chair so that he could navigate different terrains like the baseball field and the beach. He says being able to have core memories like these with his kids is invaluable.

Courtesy of Andrew Robinson

"It just was very freeing and allowed me to enjoy what most dads can enjoy with their kids. That otherwise probably would have been, you know, really challenging, if not impossible."

Andy never thought his life would be like this, but now that he’s been able to accomplish and experience so much, it has changed his outlook entirely.

"Now I know that our lives can be everything that we want them to be. The only thing that's stopping us is really our imagination and our willingness to follow that. I mean, it sounds corny, but you can be whatever you want."

Andy says he has no regrets.

"Everything that I've been through and experienced has brought me to where I'm at right now, and I'm pretty happy with where that is going and excited for what's next."

For any veterans who are going through something similar to Andy, he has some words of wisdom.

"Everything that you used to become a successful member of the military, all that is still in you. The grit, the determination, the discipline, the resourcefulness, the strength, the emotional fortitude. You're still that person. Now, something happened that you didn't expect. That's totally understandable and scary, and I get it. But you've been through scary stuff before. And you're gonna get through this."