Throughout Marine Corps history there have been hundreds of thousands of Marines whose story never gets told.  They quietly put on their packs and move out smartly with the rest of us, performing their duty with the pride and professionalism expected of all Marines.  They never let their fellow Marines down and expect absolutely nothing in return. 

Their grit, determination, spirit and selflessness inspires their fellow Marines.  They don't consider themselves extraordinary, after all they serve among extraordinary people in an extraordinary organization called the Marine Corps.

Sergeant Chris Chandler is one of those Marines.  If you haven't heard of him, he is a Marine whose name, and story, you should know.

I met Sgt Chandler on the Syrian Border in late 2005.  He was the 1st LAR Chief Infantry Scout preparing to lead a dismounted patrol that I was to be a member of into the Point of Entry (POE).  His Battalion Commander introduced me before the patrol and asked him to give me a quick run down on his responsibilities as Chief Scout.   

Sgt Chandler gave me a quick overview and excused himself to get ready for patrol rehearsals. I was impressed with him from the start.

As he walked away from us, his CO looked at me and said "Can you guess which foot he is missing?"  His CO went on to tell me Chandler's story.  He ended with "Can you believe it, in three months he'll have completed his third combat tour.  Two tours in Iraq missing a foot."

On December 16, 2001, while in support of security operations at Quandahar International Airport, Sgt Chandler stepped on a land mine, blowing off the lower portion of his left leg and sustaining massive injuries to his left arm. He was Medevaced to Landstuhl, Germany and then to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.