Towson grad adjusts after losing legs in Iraq

On a Nov. 9, 2006, patrol, a homemade device exploded near Ryan Major?s squad. The Towson High School graduate lost both legs and sustained other serious injuries, including broken arms and substantial blood loss. Major was stationed in Ramadi ? called by Iraqis “the graveyard for Americans” ? in his second tour of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Major, 22, earned a first-class flight to Walter E. Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, where he recovered, and then moved to Maryland Medical Center in early January. Major received his second Purple Heart Medal and has begun learning to walk on his prosthetic legs and putting together a new life to accommodate his drastically altered body.