"Live Now, Die Later"

          Ryan Garza, a Marine from San Antonio, Texas, went through one of the most traumatic experiences that my ears have ever heard. One could say he experienced his worst nightmare.

            Ryan has been on four tours to Afghanistan. Little did he know that his fourth tour would be his last tour ever. Since he had spent many days in Afghanistan, he was no rookie to the environment around him. He became too familiar with the dangers that came along with being a marine. He had to witness the deaths of good and bad people. He had to spend months, even years away from his family. People get to a point in their life where they hit rock bottom and have no other choice but to go up. For Ryan, joining the marines was a turning point in his life. It was a way to move up.

          On October 3^rd, 2011, he and one other marine were sent out in a truck called a “7 Ton” to recover other hurt marines. They were headed towards Nowzad, Afghanistan. Suddenly, the truck drove over a 120lb. IED (improvised explosive devise), also known as a roadside bomb. One could only imagine the fatal outcomes from an explosion like that. For Ryan, a fatal outcome was not an option. However, he was instantly knocked out. The blast was so severe that it made him temporarily blind and caused a traumatic brain injury. As he was still in shock by the blast, he didn’t realize right away that one of his legs was crushed by the steel dashboard and door of the vehicle.

            Thankfully both of the men were okay. Ryan was in pretty bad shape but he was still alive -being that the explosion took place directly under his side of the vehicle. He said that the thought of his family is what kept him alive. The other marine in the vehicle suffered cuts, bruises, and a concussion. In my opinion Ryan’s story is very powerful. We hear about what it's like in Afghanistan on the news; we read about it on the Internet, but it is a blessing to actually hear it personally from a marine himself. Ryan was awarded a Purple Heart Award. This award is for those in the military that have been wounded or killed while doing courageous acts in war. Although his leg injury has caused him great pain, it is luckily healing day by day. I think the award was well deserved. I don’t that have that much knowledge about the Marine Corps, but I do know that they are the definition of a Patriot. In many eyes, they are heroes.

           Ryan got his tattoo in San Antonio, done by a friend of his.

I find the story behind his tattoo truly inspirational. The cemetery of skulls represents the death of his grandfather, uncle, and two of his best friends. One of Ryan’s best friends was shot twice in war. The other best friend was crushed in a similar vehicle explosion like the one Ryan experienced. He says the tattoo “is to up rise the death of his loved ones”. The whole piece symbolizes the prevalence of good over evil (hence the skulls are above the ground).  This is a real example of a meaningful tattoo.

“Live now, Die later” –Ryan Garza