Salisbury vet reflects on sacrifices ahead of Veteran’s Day

SALISBURY, Md. – With tomorrow being Veteran’s Day, many people are celebrating the sacrifices that the soldiers overseas have made in the name of freedom. 

Retired Army Sergeant Igor Titovecs, of Salisbury, is one of those soldiers. He was an infantry man in the 101st Airborne doing a tour in Afghanistan at an observation post in 2010.

During one of his nighttime rotations back to the observation post,  he had a hard time seeing in the dark without moonlight and lost his footing.

“At one point I lost my balance and just fell off. I fell off about forty to fifty feet, and as a result, I suffered a concussion, broke all my ribs on one side and I broke my spine.”

Due to the extent of the injuries, he was flown to the US, where he underwent rehabilitation and extensive physical therapy. 

During his physical recovery, he faced mental health difficulties resulting in a difficult adjustment back to civilian life, but thanks to organizations like Nonprofit Semper Fi & America’s Fund, they helped pay for new back and leg brace and accommodations in his home that lead him to his new found passion. 

“If you lose something, how valuable it was to you in your life. So when I lost the ability to walk originally, I was so angry at people who can walk who can run, but then I realized that life is not over.” 

“Just give it some time. Your body will adapt and there are so many other things in life. If you lose something, there are so many other things you still can do and you can find happiness, joy and purpose.”

Now, Igor is able to participate in adaptive skiing and other sports that help him adjust back into civilian life and inspire other soldiers going through difficult times.