Bryan was assigned to Dawg Company, 3rd Platoon weapons squad as a 240 Gunner and deployed in March of 2011 to Afghanistan. It was in the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan on July 1, 2011 that Bryan, a gutsy Brooklyn boy, began the fight of his life.

While on a routine patrol an IED exploded. Instantly Bryan’s best friend PFC Jimmy Waters was killed. In that moment Bryan was also hit by shrapnel himself and critically wounded. His battle began. On the field he was given first aid and within 4 days journeyed to Kandahar, Germany and home to the United States. Initially Bryan lost an enormous amount of blood, but miraculously the fighter in him held on. Bryan lost both legs below the knee and his left arm below the elbow.