Hero: Chris Hahn

Chris Hahn

Chris shipped out for Iraq on the U.S.S Nassau in November 2005. After landing in Kuwait, his unit transported up to Hit, city on the Euphrates River about halfway between Baghdad and the Syrian border.
Inside the Sunni Triangle, this town was in dangerous territory, and Chris’ unit took on several hazardous missions and patrols. The mission right before Chris was injured was particularly dangerous, a long sweep from a distant town back to Hit in search of weapons caches stored by insurgents and terrorists. That mission was a success with 30 caches found and destroyed.
Just a couple days later, on January 30, 2006, Chris’ unit took on a night operation, dropping combat teams at locations outside Hit. Wartime conditions have left roads in this part of the world treacherous, filled with holes and rubble. Chris was manning a machine gun atop of one of the vehicles when it rolled. In the accident, Chris’ foot and ankle were crushed.
Recuperation: The doctors tried to save Chris’ foot; but, two months after he came home, it turned black, and a decision was made to amputate below the knee. After surgery at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, Chris did rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He spent a total of seven months of hospitalization and rehabilitation in Washington, D.C., but it wasn’t boring.
A highly patriotic young man, Chris used his time to see as many historic sites in our nation’s capital as he possible could. Besides that, as he got better, he also began to play golf again, feeling frustrated that his game was better on one leg than it was when he was using his new prosthetic leg. He even played a few rounds with a couple leaders of the Wounded Warrior Project. “I didn’t fare so well in those games,” he reported with a laugh. We’ll see how he does when he gets used to that prosthetic leg.
Involvement with Wounded Warrior Project: Chris first became aware of the Wounded Warrior Project when RJ visited his room at Bethesda and dropped off a WWP backpack filled with clothing items, toiletries, a CD player, and other stuff that comes in handy when a veteran just arrives at the hospital. Since that day, WWP has been a factor in Chris’ life. “This is not just a job for WWP representatives. For them, it’s like being your friend, being a buddy when you really need someone like that. Anything I needed, they were right there for me."
So far, WWP events Chris has participated in or plans to take part in include skiing, adaptive water sports, golf, and hunting. “Participating in WWP programs let me know that, even though I lost my leg, there was a lot that I can do – everything really. But it’s more than that. It gives you a sense that you’re not going through the process of dealing with your disability all by yourself. You’re not alone in what you’re going through.”