Triple amputee veteran injured on Independence Day recalls harrowing IED blast: ‘Thank God I’m here’

Over a decade ago, Army veteran SSG Monte Bernardo lost his arm and both legs on Independence Day in Afghanistan. Today he enjoys spending time with his family and is working to become a blacksmith.

On July 4, 2012, Bernardo and his team were ambushed in Afghanistan. Several of the members of his unit has been critically injured. Monte, the leader of Alpha team, directed his unit as gunfire and grenades whizzed by. While changing position, Monte heard a loud noise and suddenly, he was launched 25 feet in the air, landing backward on a nearby hill.

"When I tried to stand up, I couldn't. My buddy came running up and I could see on his face it wasn't good and my legs were gone," Bernardo told Fox News Digital.

Moments later, as his comrade began putting a tourniquet around what was left of his upper leg, Bernardo realized half of his left arm was missing. He asked if his private parts were still intact and breathed a sigh of relief when his squad confirmed they were. His next thought was, "How the hell am I going to play video games?"