Travis Mills, a retired United States Army Staff Sergeant, is one of five quadruple amputees from the Iraq and Afghanistan war to survive the surgery and his injuries.  He shared his experience Sept. 12 in Albert Taylor Hall, speaking about how he finds motivation through his family and now runs a nonprofit to help veterans.  

When he was 19 years old, Mills joined the military. On his third mission in Afghanistan, his backpack detonated a landmine and caused his injuries, Mills said.  

His first surgery was on his 25th birthday, and he spent the next 19 months recovering in the hospital, said Craig Buck, Mills’ father-in-law.  

Mills had originally been told by his doctor that he would have to stay in recovery for three years, but eight hours of physical recovery, five days a week, helped him speed up the process, Buck said.  

Mills said he credits his family for giving him the motivation to make it through the injury. 

After his injury, his wife built a house for the two of them to live in once he was out of the hospital and Buck moved closer to them, becoming their neighbor, according to Buck.  

In September 2013, Mills founded the Travis Mills Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization formed to benefit and assist combat-injured veterans, according to the SSG Travis Mills website.  

“I’m glad he was able to get though it and help others,” said Mark Christiansen, president of the Student Veterans Association and sophomore biology major. 

According to Lisa Foster, president of UAC and senior business management major, Mills’ story has inspired her. 

“I think he’s an awesome person, I think his story is amazing,” Foster said. “It makes my problem feel less real I guess. I can overcome my little problems as he can overcome such a big life changing event.”