MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com)-- Monday, February 13, 2012, marks two months since an explosion changed Marine Corporal Christian Brown's life forever. He lost both legs in battle when when an IED exploded in Afghanistan. The young, charismatic, Marine from Munford, TN, is now fighting from a hospital bed in Maryland.
Brown told abc24.com, "It's tough, some days you wake up and you can forget about what happened, or you can look past it... then you have other days that are just terrible... you just keep looking at where you're at and what happened to you and there's self pity."
In his first interview since he nearly lost his life, he struggled to explain how he felt when he realized he lost his legs. "Just to look down and see that the rest of you isn't there," Brown says, "It's indescribable how to explain that to somebody."
Deeply religious, he now faces another battle, "I thought God would bless me and watch over me,..I thought that He was going to take care of me and I would be okay. But, evidently that wasn't the plan He had for me."
Brown remembers bits and pieces from moments before the attack. When he awoke after the explosion, the first thing he asked was if everyone else was okay, not even realizing what happened to him.
In January, Brown received a Purple Heart, a moment he called bittersweet. "It was really awesome, but at the same time you wish you could have had those moments without having it be in the state that you're in. It would be nice to be able to see those important people and have them be proud of you without you having to sacrifice so much."
Brown believes there's a reason for his sacrifice. Now, his focus is on healing. Doctors say his progress is extraordinary.
"The reason I'm being blessed and recovering so fast is because of those people that are out there praying for me and all I can say to them is thank you for believing in me and hope you continue to keep me safe in those prayers."
Corporal Brown's mother, Lyn Braden-Reed, has been at the hospital with him for the last three months. She thanks everyone in the Mid-South for all the support, prayers and cards.
At this point there is no timetable for his recovery, but he is looking forward to his fellow Marines coming to visit him over Presidents' weekend.
