In February of 2012, now retired United States Army National Guard Sergeant Eduardo Fuentes-Bueno and his team fell under attack defending a combat post, injuring him and nine others. Medically evacuated from Kunduz Province in Afghanistan, he was rushed into surgery due to shrapnel in his brain, eye, and other parts of his body from a grenade explosion.
Once Fuentes-Bueno arrived at Walter Reed National Medical Center, he received care from their TBI ward. After 3 months, he was transferred to continue therapy at the Poly-Trauma Unit at Palo Alto Veterans Hospital in California. In 2014, he medically retired and was awarded a Purple Heart.
Since retiring, he has supported fellow veterans in need through the 2-1-1 Veterans Helpline. In addition, he pursued his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, proving himself to be an admirable source of resilience despite recovering from his psychological and physical injuries.
With a restored sense of self through his career and educational endeavors, Fuentes-Bueno focused on restoring HOPE in his family by applying for A Warrior’s Wish for the chance to focus on quality family time after serving for many years. Inspired by his resilience, HOPE awarded him with camper rentals in the summer of 2017 with the provision to re-apply in 2018 for the purchase of a camper. Due to the positive impact on those camping trips, we gifted him with a pull-behind camper of his own, paving the way for many more family trips, memories, and quality time for years to come.