The Mitchell Family

The whole nation experienced heartbreak and grief after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001—and Staff Sergeant Matthew Mitchell was no different. As a junior in high school at the time, this had a profound impact which soon resulted in him enlisting in the U.S. Army at the age of eighteen in 2002, moving out of his childhood home in Okeechobee, Florida for the first time. Little did he know that he had a long and memorable military career ahead of him. While on deployment in Iraq, Matthew’s vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device (IED). The intense explosion and its aftermath left him with a traumatic brain injury, as well as injuries to his hand, hip and back. Despite the level of his injuries, Matthew felt lucky to be alive. For long periods of time, the traumatic incident affected his mental and emotional health,...