Matt Krumwiede is a sergeant in the U.S. Army. Last year, while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, he stepped on an improvised explosive device. Fifteen pounds of explosive tore into his body, destroying both his legs and badly damaging his torso and left arm. Medics on the scene and a quick Medevac flight saved his life but started him on a long, painful journey toward recovery. More than a year later, he has undergone around 40 surgeries and is now learning to walk with prosthetic legs. His end goal is to once again be a soldier in the infantry. Reuters photographer Shamil Zhumatov, who was embedded with Sgt. Krumwiede's regiment last year, happened to be present on the day he stepped on the IED and took several photos of the immediate aftermath, including the painful impact on both Sgt. Krumwiede and his uninjured comrades who remained in the field. Earlier this year, Reuters photographer Jim Urquhart started meeting up with Sgt. Krumwiede, documenting his recovery in Texas—his support system of therapists, family, and friends, and the daily trials of recovering from such a traumatic set of injuries. This entry is part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.
After Afghanistan: Learning to Walk Again
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Read moreSgt. Matt Krumwiede of the U.S. Army takes a phone call as his hand is massaged by his mother Pam Krumwiede, after being admitted for an infection at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on November 4, 2013. On June 12, 2012, Krumwiede was on patrol in Afghanistan when he stepped on an IED, which tore away both his legs, damaged his left arm, and ripped open his abdominal cavity. The 22-year-old has since undergone around 40 surgeries and is learning to walk with prosthetic legs. He is keen to re-join the infantry as soon as his injuries allow. #
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Read moreThe day before: U.S. Army soldier Sgt. Matt Krumwiede, from the 5-20 Infantry Regiment attached to 82nd Airborne Division, walks while on patrol in Zharay district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, on June 11, 2012. The next day, Krumwiede was on patrol when he stepped on an IED. #
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Read moreA U.S. Army soldier secures an area as his colleague treats Sgt. Matt Krumwiede, wounded by an IED in southern Afghanistan, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreSoldiers secure the area, while a medic treats Sgt. Matt Krumwiede shortly after he stepped on the IED, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreSoldiers carry a badly wounded Sgt. Matt Krumwiede towards a Blackhawk Medevac helicopter in southern Afghanistan, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreSoldiers carry Sgt. Matt Krumwiede into a Blackhawk Medevac helicopter, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreA soldier reacts as he sits inside an armored vehicle after his comrade, Sgt. Matt Krumwiede, was wounded by an IED, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreA blood-covered M4 rifle, belonging to Sgt. Matt Krumwiede, lies on the ground in southern Afghanistan, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreSoldiers react after their comrade Sgt. Matt Krumwiede was wounded by an IED, on June 12, 2012. #
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Read moreBack in the States, a year later: Sgt. Matt Krumwiede (front row, white shirt) lines up for morning formation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede makes his way to the entrance of the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede attaches his prosthetic leg before practicing walking with physical therapist Troy Hopkins at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede practices walking with prosthetic legs, assisted by physical therapist Troy Hopkins, at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreWalking practice at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreOccupational therapist Kelley Wells works with Krumwiede, who is playing a drumming videogame during occupational therapy at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede plays a drumming videogame during occupational therapy at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on August 1, 2013. #
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Read moreOn November 2, 2013, Krumwiede pulls himself up into a truck at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. #
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Read moreSgt. Matt Krumwiede is handed a shotgun during a skeet shooting event at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede waits to shoot during a skeet shooting event, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreSgt. Matt Krumwiede sits in a jeep as he hunts with his friend Sgt. Jesse McCart at a hunting ranch outside San Antonio, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede hunts with his friend Sgt. Jesse McCart at a hunting ranch outside San Antonio, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreKrumwiede and his friend Sgt. Jesse McCart drive through a hunting ranch outside San Antonio, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreSgt. Matt Krumwiede sits in pain while his friend Sgt. Jesse McCart and his mother Pam Krumwiede talk, after a day of hunting, on November 2, 2013. #
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Read moreMatt Krumwiede has a wound tended to by his mother Pam, after a day of hunting at a ranch outside San Antonio, Texas, on November 3, 2013. #
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Read morePam Krumwiede massages the damaged hand of her son, Matt, after he was admitted to treat an infection at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on November 4, 2013. The 22-year-old has since undergone around 40 surgeries in the year since he stepped on an IED, and is learning to walk with prosthetic legs. He is keen to re-join the infantry as soon as his injuries allow. #
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