The Seal Family

Sgt. First Class Marc Seal joined the U.S. Army on November 20, 1990. For more than 15 years, he served in active duty until his departure in June 1996. After a brief respite, he eventually joined the Texas Army National Guard in October 2001. During his time in service, Seal deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. Of his four deployments, three resulted in injuries.

Seal was injured during his first deployment to Iraq in 2005. While on duty in Mosul, Iraq, Seal’s military vehicle was ambushed. He sustained shrapnel to his left eye and ear, and he was violently thrown into the dashboard during the ambush.

While on a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, Seal was involved in another accident when he attempted to free one of his soldiers from a blown-up vehicle. The incident resulted in injuries to his right shoulder, rotator cuff, labrum and bicep tendon. Seal was medically evacuated and spent 14 months at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. After several surgeries and rehabilitation, he left the Warrior Transition Unit in February 2012.

Seal’s final deployment resulted in additional injuries. While in Afghanistan again in 2013, he was partially ejected from a vehicle that abruptly swerved to avoid hitting a child. As a result, the vehicle turned over as it was driven three feet off of a bridge. The crash resulted in a traumatic brain injury (TBI), bilateral labrum and rotator cuff tears, a damaged left bicep tendon, a torn left knee and right wrist, and compressed and herniated disks in his neck.

Following that accident in 2013, Seal has undergone six surgeries and continues treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and TBI. Seal currently receives monthly injections in his neck, skull and spine for his physical pain and will need additional surgeries in the future.

In honor of his service, Seal has been awarded over 41 military honors, including a Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars. He is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology and plans to pursue a master’s degree in business. He hopes to one day provide crisis management counseling for veterans.

Thanks to Operation FINALLY HOME and Sorrells & Co Design + Build, Marc Seal and his family will have a home to call their own in Waco, TX.