Feb. 6, 2024
Wounded Warriors Family Support provided a new 2023 Jeep Wrangler to Army SGT Luis Rosa-Valentin. The Wrangler has extensive mobility modifications to allow Luis to safely operate the vehicle. WWFS’s Mobility is Freedom program provided the vehicle and modifications for Luis and his family with a considerable donation coming from Radian. The Mobility is Freedom program is designed to provide custom, mobility-equipped vehicles that veterans want to drive to help them fully engage in their communities and families lives. Below is a brief video of Luis demonstrating how his modifications function.
Army SGT Luis Rosa-Valentin was on his second deployment when he was left a triple amputee with hearing and vision loss after an IED explosion in Iraq in April 2008. SGT Rosa-Valentin was part of the 4th Infantry Division, acting as a point man on a dismounted combat raid just outside of Baghdad two days before his 25th birthday. During a six-hour firefight in an area filled with snipers and combatants, Luis assisted an injured buddy, helping to medivac him out of the area, all the while being shot at by snipers.
After leaving the chopper landing zone and returning to the firefight, Luis was scanning the rooftops for snipers when an IED exploded directly next to him, immediately amputating his legs and left arm and leaving him unconscious. Regaining consciousness, it took immediate life saving measures to stabilize him enough to be transported to a local hospital. He was later airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany and finally to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he remained for nearly a year and a half.
SGT Rosa-Valentin enjoys spending time with his two young daughters. Before his injuries he was interested in anything military related and had been since he was a young boy. Growing up in a military family Luis moved from base to base as his dad’s orders changed: living in Germany and then returning stateside to complete his middle and high school years at Ft. Meade in Maryland. A fan of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) SGT Rosa-Valentin enjoys watching the fights both in person and on television. He enjoyed sky diving pre-injury and looks forward to obtaining his sky diving certification in the future.
When asked if there was anything he would like to say to those who support our combat veterans with modified vehicles and vehicle grants SGT Rosa-Valentin replied, “Freedom is not free… don’t forget the fallen soldiers and please, don’t forget the soldiers who return from war.
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured, or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot.