Ep. 36 Blown Up Twice-John’s American Story

John Peck is one of the five surviving quad amputees from the war on terror.  He was blown up not once, but twice; the first time John lost years of his memory and the second time, he lost all four limbs.

John grew up with a single mom.  He took care of himself a great deal of time as his mom was always working.

John joined the marines after high school.  He was deployed to Iraq where an IED caused him to suffer a traumatic brain injury.  John lost years of his memory.

He petitioned to re-enlist and was approved.  John was deployed to Afghanistan.  On May 24, 2010 while serving in the Helmand Province, Peck was clearing an empty compound, searching for explosives. He was the first man in, using a slow, sweeping arc with his metal detector.

John immediately lost three limbs.  Peck's remaining arm was amputated soon after. He’s one of only two living people to survive the flesh-eating fungus he contracted in recovery at Walter Reed.

 In 2016, Peck underwent a groundbreaking bilateral arm transplant, receiving two new arms. To date, the surgery has been successful.

This episode with John was more like a conversation between two friends.  I found him to be funny, down to earth, and candid.

You can read John's book, Rebuilding Sergeant Peck