Ryan “Birdman” Parrott’s connection to military service goes back to his high school days when a teacher and retired Marine inspired him to take on the challenge of becoming a Navy Seal.
But the grueling test required to become an elite warrior could not prepare him for what unfolded during his first deployment to Iraq in 2005. His team was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), and Parrott and his teammates suffered burns and other injuries.
“It shot me out of the turret,” Parrott said in a video in which he describes his experience. “That’s how I got my nickname ‘birdman’ — from going for a little flight.”
Parrott was fortunate that his burns were only first and second-degree, both levels of burns that can heal.
“I was lucky,” Parrott told Breitbart News.
But many members of the U.S. military, first responders, and even civilians are not so lucky and face years of surgery and recovery, not to mention the emotional and mental struggles these injuries can inflict.