Valerie James called me up one day with an extraordinary gift. This is what happened. It started something else that would live on to grow into a bigger vision.
SGT (Ret) Kendra Lou Garza joined the Army when she was 19 years old, in 2007, and went to Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. She had always known she wanted to join the military, but September 11th solidified her decision. In training as a Military Police Paratrooper, she learned how to overcome mental obstacles she had set for herself, and in the Army, she experienced life beyond the small town in Georgia where she grew up. Her strong will and perseverance paid off, and she began serving her country overseas in Germany, awaiting further assignment.
Kendra deployed to Charkh, Afghanistan, in November 2009 with her unit and began regular patrols.
Kendra deployed to Charkh, Afghanistan, in November 2009 with her unit and began regular patrols.
“It was hell 24/7.”
There was not a lot of down time, so work was fast and furious. There were four different teams in the platoon. They took turns on the missions- one squad would go one day and the next day, another squad would go. This day, May 10, 2010, was her off-day.
It was her off-day.
There was not a lot of down time, so work was fast and furious. There were four different teams in the platoon. They took turns on the missions- one squad would go one day and the next day, another squad would go. This day, May 10, 2010, was her off-day.
She didn't have to go.
“My squad leader came up to me and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go on this mission, but you don’t have to go, it’s just going to be a small mission.’” To which, Kendra said, “No, if my team’s going, then I’m going to go, too.”
The mission led them along Route New York to a bazaar. Normally a bazaar is full of people- it’s where locals buy and sell in the marketplace. But on this day, it was completely empty. The team was walking in a diagonal formation, and Kendra was the second man back on the left. Approaching an alley to her left, she got up and hugged the building. That’s where she noticed a pile of random tires. She was stepping forward with her right leg when the explosion went off. Her left leg was lost in the blast, and the injury was devastating.
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Kendra endured dozens of surgeries, and suffered shrapnel injuries, traumatic brain injury, and injuries to her bladder. She was retired from the Army with several medals, including two Purple Hearts, an Army Achievement Medal and a Combat Action Badge.
Documenting her journey of receiving her socket from MartinBionics was the unknowingly start of the film, The Invisible Project. You can see some preliminary video of Kendra receiving the socket on Great Day Houston, here https://youtu.be/tX9RT9IQZGg