He walked for hours and remembers how dusty his shoes were.
Arriving back at his apartment, and overwhelmed with the emotion of the day, he put his shoes back in his closet where he left them, still covered in dust, and for 20 years the dust remained on the shoes as a reminder of that tragic day.
From this experience, Chris knew he had to make a difference – to help those who had sacrificed part of themselves for America.
Chris and a friend founded SoldierStrong to bring attention and support to those who sacrifice and are in need. The socks program, for instance, helped those whose #1 need was having socks to wear in the cold as they experienced homelessness.
Another part of SoldierStrong included providing 35,000 paralyzed veterans access to exoskeleton suits as they recovered from the wounds of war.
And this is how I came to know Chris. He was inquiring about a potential OHT donation to help provide access to these suits – that would help a paralyzed veteran stand and take those precious next steps. (Today SoldierStrong has donated millions of dollars’ worth of suits to VA Medical Centers where veterans can sign up and go to "walk" for an hour at a time up to 3 times a week). Just being able to have some mobility and be upright has helped so many veterans on their road to a better recovery.