1st Lt. Josh Pitcher takes his 1st steps with a new prosthetic limb after losing his left leg in an IED attack in Kandahar Province mid-2012. Pitcher returned to Afghanistan 1 1/2 years later as a paratrooper with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. (Photo courtesy of Josh Pitcher)
Going back to war terrified 1st Lt. Josh Pitcher.
He had lost his left leg from an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province in April 2012.
After the incident, his life spiraled out of control, he said. But just over a year and a half later, Pitcher put that fear on the back burner as he climbed back through the ranks, earning the U.S. Army’s Expert Infantry Badge — something not easily obtained even by soldiers with two legs.
Then he requalified as a paratrooper, completing multiple combat jumps with his new prosthetic leg. Now he’s back with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, serving in Afghanistan’s Regional Command-North.
