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If He Hadn’t Gotten Blown Up, He Might Be Dead.

Josue Barron grew up in an area known for warring gangs. He almost got sucked in, but joined the Marines instead. It cost him a leg and an eye, but saved him from the streets of an L.A. suburb.

Josue Barron wanted to make his mom proud after all she’d done to raise him and his siblings alone in poverty-stricken Cudahy, CA. He struggled at first in the Marines because he only spoke Spanish at home. But he was fast, strong, did his job, and got noticed. On his first deployment, to Afghanistan, he lost a leg and an eye to an IED while on patrol. He had a high amputation – above the knee - which is a more difficult operation and recovery. It changed how he saw himself, and he developed a new appreciation for life. And that meant saying goodbye for good to his old friends on the streets. Josue’s goal now is to make sure his sons have a father who is always there for them and help other amputees stand strong.

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