David Guzman is patriotic, just as other family members have been in the past. He joined the Texas Army Reserve for a decade in 1989 and when 9/11 hit New York, he re-upped in 2002.
Wars are not pretty, and Guzman learned that first hand when the truck he was driving hit an improvised exploding device, causing Guzman to suffer hearing loss and shrapnel wounds. Later, it would cause issues with his right foot. His leg contracted gangrene, which has caused him to wear a brace to this day. He also has to wear a hearing aid. He left the service and was medically discharged in 2005. He went to speech therapy where he had to learn the alphabet again.
“All that time and patience, I had to learn not to be afraid. There are some other vets that find it hard to hold a glass bottle," Guzman said. "There is a high suicide rate, especially those who were wounded. Take your life? Just who do you think you’ll affect? All you’ll leave them is a bill for a funeral. Sometimes a talk with a vet, one veteran to another veteran, helps. They can go on with their lives. There are second chances, so let’s enjoy.”
