When walkers, sponsors, and other supporters gather on the Ocean City Boardwalk on Saturday, September 30, for the 9th Annual Walk for the Wounded, they’ll hear the inspiring story of a hero who was struggling with an amputation and other significant injuries at an age when most young Americans are enjoying college or embarking on a new career. During the Walk’s opening ceremonies, Sergeant Sean M. Lewis (U.S. Army – Medically Retired) will explain how Operation First Response helped him overcome the challenges he faced upon his return from the battlefield.
Sergeant Lewis joined the Army on his 17th birthday, while still a senior in high school. After training, he joined the 588th Combat Engineer Battalion as a Communications Officer, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. In March, 2003, he deployed to Iraq, where he served primarily in Baqubah in the Diyala Province. On January 21, 2004, Sergeant Lewis and two fellow soldiers, Gabriel Palacios and David Parker, were hit by a mortar round. Palacios and Parker were killed in the explosion, while Sergeant Lewis survived, losing his right leg and suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury, hearing loss, and shrapnel injuries as a result of the blast.
Sergeant Lewis retired from the Army in May of 2006. A full time student studying Music Education, his goal is to teach music at the middle school or high school level, while caring for his five-year-old son, Truitt.
Registration for the 9th Annual Walk for the Wounded takes place at the Ocean City Music Pier at 8:30 a.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m., and the three-mile Walk begins at 10:00 a.m. All proceeds from Walk for the Wounded will help Operation First Response, rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator, support wounded soldiers in times of crisis. More than 97 cents of every dollar raised will be donated directly to injured soldiers who are facing financial, physical, and emotional struggles.
To learn more about Walk for the Wounded, please contact Tricia Ciliberto at (609) 402-5190 or Tciliberto1971@gmail.com.
