One-Armed Sharpshooter Won't Miss His Shot
** OGTV's second MILITARY MATTERS playlist of the week story features a soldier who may have lost an arm in battle, but it did not diminish his desire to serve his country and live a full life. **
It happened in seconds. Izzy Ezagui, a Special Forces soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), was quietly preparing in his tent for his next mission, when suddenly, a mortar hit and exploded right next to him. He lost his left arm on the spot.
As he began the long rehab process, his immediate challenge was relearning and mastering the basic, daily skills that we all take for granted - buttoning a shirt, tying a shoe, cutting food. All of these everyday tasks needed to be relearned, often in entirely new ways and it was slow, hard work.
As Izzy struggled, he came to the realization that he did not want his life to be defined by this event. He felt that if he could reclaim his spot in the IDF to complete his service, he would be erasing the damage, both physical and mental, caused by the explosion.
However, much to his dismay, the doctors and his commander promptly issued him release papers, effectively ending his tour and military career. "I woke up one day in rehab and received papers that said, 'You're done. Thank you for your service. Goodbye.'… and I was furious," Izzy recalls. "I wasn't ready to be finished. I had to fight my way back in."
Fortunately, Izzy found a General who was willing to give him a chance to get back to his unit. The only catch was that he had to relearn and pass all the basic skills tests, except this time with only one arm. "We all go through hardships but there is always a way," Izzy recalled thinking. When he proved that he could climb a wall, shoot, load and unjam an assault rifle, and perform all the of the Special Forces duties, Izzy earned back his spot on the team and the undying respect of his peers.
Izzy's persistence in the face of these many incredible obstacles enabled him to later transform himself from a wounded warrior to a motivational speaker and writer. "Who loses a hand, the thing you write with, and then says, now is the time to write a book," he joked.
Watch his story and read his book, "Disarmed – Unconventional Lessons From The World's Only One-Armed Special Forces Sharpshooter", and be inspired by this determined soldier and author.
Learn more at: https://www.justizzy.com/
To see more OnlyGood TV MILITARY MATTERS videos, visit us at: https://bit.ly/OurMilitaryFamilyOGTV
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