“Because of Wounded Warrior Project, not only will my kids see how much their daddy can still do, but how much they can do. How much they can give to this country, how much they can give to their communities, and how much they can accomplish if they set their minds to it.”
Mark Lalli
There is a legacy of military service in Mark Lalli’s family that goes all the way back to the American Revolution. Both of Mark’s grandfathers honored their family’s legacy of service by fighting in World War II — and growing up, Mark wanted to be just like them. “It was my dream to follow in their footsteps,” says Mark. “I always wanted to be G.I. Joe.” The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 only strengthened Mark’s resolve and in November 2002, he joined the Army — one week after his 17th birthday.
As a Black Hawk helicopter crew chief in Iraq, it was his job to make sure the aircraft was safe and ready to fly. But on November 8, 2007, he was on someone else’s aircraft for a joint training exercise in Italy when the helicopter had what Mark calls an “unrecoverable malfunction.” The aircraft spun for several hundred feet before crashing to the ground. There were 11 warriors on board, and only five survived. Mark was one of the lucky ones.
As a result of the crash, he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and over two-dozen broken bones. He still lives with short-term memory loss and some paralysis. “Rehab was painful,” says Mark. “And there were times I wanted to quit. But I believed I owed it to the six warriors who died in the crash to keep trying. I was given a chance to live, and I live in their honor.”
It was during Mark’s rehab in a Tampa hospital when he met an outreach coordinator from Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP). “He was an amputee,” says Mark. “And he showed me that it’s not the end. He inspired me to believe that anything is still possible. There is life, even when you’re confined to a wheelchair.”
That sentiment grew with every event Mark attended. “I feel like every time I’m at a Wounded Warrior Project event, I’m trying something physically that I haven’t tried before,” says Mark. “I realize ‘Hey, I can still do this. I can get down on the ground to do yoga. And if I can get down like this, I can get down on the ground to play with my daughters now, too.’ It helps me see things in a way I hadn’t thought of before.”
When Mark isn’t on the ground playing with his twin toddlers, he’s at a horse farm he first visited many years ago for a WWP barbecue. That farm has become his new purpose, and through it, he’s found solace, met his wife, and helped hundreds of veterans and disabled people in his community. Whenever he meets a new warrior, his message is simple: “Take each day as it comes. Find out what works for you and go with it, and simply stay away from what doesn’t work. Every day is an Alive Day. Keep your mind on those we have lost, and let their memory be your motivation.”