My ears rang as I fell to the earth with a thud. I couldn't breathe. At first, I thought my leg was covered in dirt and debris. I knew I was hurt from the sharp pain below my left knee, but I had no idea the extent of my injuries. The air smelled of gunpowder, blood, and sweat, as helicopter shadows traced overhead. I lay in the dust looking up into the sky, and time stood still... I couldn't help but think of the last thing my fiance told me as I was getting ready to deploy... "Come back to me in ONE piece!" All those noble and romantic sentiments of serving my country faded into the realization that I may die out here in this damn desert. It seemed like hours before they found me. I lost my left leg, and had 21 pieces of shrapnel removed from my lower extremities that day. The IED that detonated, had ripped our little convoy apart. I had only been there  two weeks, and now I was going home. It's hard to believe I was one of the "lucky" ones that day...