US Army soldier José Martínez loses three limbs to Afghan roadside bomb

On 3 March 2012, José Martínez, a US Army soldier on patrol in Afghanistan, was gravely wounded by an improvised explosive device, a homemade roadside bomb. He was serving during the long US-led war that followed the 2001 invasion, known to Americans as Operation Enduring Freedom.

The blast cost him three limbs. Accounts of his injuries are consistent that he lost both legs and his right arm, and he became a triple amputee. He was evacuated and began a long period of medical care and rehabilitation in the United States, including treatment at the Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Improvised explosives were among the deadliest weapons faced by US and allied troops in Afghanistan, and they caused a large share of the war's most severe injuries. Martínez's case became a notable example of the lasting physical cost of the conflict. Years later, he took up adaptive surfing as part of his recovery, which led to his public profile as an athlete and to the questions he now raises about the meaning of his sacrifice.