OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:53 AM PT — Monday, October 21, 2019
The Army is saluting the efforts of a 21-year-old soldier who amputated his own leg in order to save the lives of his crew mates. Recent reports described the moment Army Specialist Ezra Maes woke up inside his tank and realized it was speeding down a hill at almost 90 miles-per-hour.
The crew had parked the tank earlier that night to sleep while on rotation in Slovakia, but a hydraulic leak caused the brakes to fail. The crash caused one of Maes’s legs to become pinned, and as he pulled he severed his leg at the thigh. He then searched for medical supplies and a phone to call for help.
Perseverance and resilience ?@USArmy Spc. Ezra Maes undergoes physical rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid, Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. Read his inspiring story of determination and how he plans to keep moving forward: https://t.co/WtjP2B5MV6 #KnowYourMil pic.twitter.com/KJOi4wigsF
— Department of Defense ?? (@DeptofDefense) October 12, 2019
“It’s one of those things that nobody knows we are down here…it’s if I don’t help myself and help my crew no one is going to,” Maes explained. So either I step it up or we all die, its kind of one of those driving factors.”
Maes said the crash has changed his perspective on life, and he sees each day as a gift. He is now preparing to receive a long-term prosthetic leg, which will be attached surgically to the bone to give him more mobility.
