OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A Marine amputee from terrorist attacks on 9/11 is helping fellow veterans battle PTSD. In this Zevely Zone, I met a hero in Oceanside.
Every American can tell you where they were when terrorists attacked on 9/11, but for Marine veteran Sarah Rudder, she lives with that memory every day. "I am a strong person definitely," said Sarah. All Sarah ever wanted was to become a Marine.
On September 11, 2001, Sarah was promoted to Lance Corporal in a ceremony outside the Pentagon. The ceremony stopped abruptly when they felt what they thought was an earthquake, but within minutes, flames and smoke filled the sky.
Without a second thought, Sarah ran to the Pentagon to assist in whatever way she could. "It was almost like an earthquake and then you just see this huge explosion of black smoke in the air," said Sarah.
She ran toward the trouble to pull survivors out of the flames and later returned to carry away the dead. "I was removing a non-survivor and I stepped into a hole and shattered my ankle," said Sarah. 13 surgeries followed that injury. "My leg would swell to look like an elephant, it would turn purple, it would turn red," said Sarah who chose to have her leg amputated.
"Straight down, straight up," said Sarah while doing headstand pushups. Rigorous workouts are one way Sarah fends off PTSD. "I come into the gym, and I just try to get out all of the aggression and all of the emotions that I can so that way I don't step into my home and take it out on my family," said Sarah.
"Nancy, last round, everything you got," said Sarah. During our visit, Sarah brought out the 'Wonder Woman' in her client Nancy Perez. "Ha, ha, ha, yes and then some," said Nancy while catching her breath.
Sarah wasn't allowed to go to war due to her injury, so instead, she waits for her comrades to return from battle. "I am currently training 73 combat wounded veterans," said Sarah who thanks the Semper Fi & America's Fund – a nonprofit organization for making modifications to her home. "The fund has always had my back," said Sarah. A back that is chiseled with muscle. Sarah was recently named the fittest below knee amputee female on Earth.
When Sarah was too sad to talk, tattoos told her story. "This is the 9/11 Pentagon," said Sarah while showing me the artwork on her body. "This represents literally for me rising from the ashes the day I was injured," she said. But now, 15 Gold medals at the Invictus games and pep talks from Joe Biden and Prince Harry are all the motivation this Marine needs. "I have to do it for my son and my daughter and my husband and all of the other veterans that survived," said Sarah.
Sarah's leg was amputated due to nerve damage causing intense pain. Following her recovery, she was diagnosed with a TBI and PTSD. It was then that she was connected with Semper Fi & America's Fund – a nonprofit organization that provides lifetime support to critically wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. The Fund made modifications to Sarah's home, making it more accessible to move about on crutches or in a wheelchair.
For more information about the Semper Fi & America's Fund click here.
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