COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A local soldier wounded in Iraq now helps others via her inspirational story.
Spc. Latoya Lucas was gravely injured in Iraq in 2003. Lucas had to learn to walk again and spent months in the hospital. Now she shares her story with others in hopes it will inspire them.
Lucas was forced to retire from the Army because of the seriousness of her injuries. Now she fights the war to help others who face all types of adversity.
Lucas signed copies of her book at Pikes Peak East Library Saturday afternoon.
The book is called "The Immeasurable Spirit." It stems from her own personal experiences.
She grew up poor in Washington D.C and joined the Army in 1999. At 24 years old, she found herself fighting in Iraq when the war began in 2003.
"I was wounded on a convoy by a rocket-propelled grenade and suffered severe life threatening injuries," said Lucas. "Traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, permanent colostomy," she added.
Laying there on a road in Iraq as insurgent small arms fire crackled around he,r Lucas says she has a spiritual moment.
"I had my first conversation with God. I’ve always been a person of faith but I actually had my first conversation with God on that battlefield."
She still wears her scars as a badge of courage.
It took her more than two years to recover from her injuries. Now 30, Lucas travels the country spreading her message of hope.
She wants everyone to know the war doesn’t end for soldiers after they return home.
"It’s important for us to be there for our service members when they come back from the battlefield, and we need to be there for them as a nation, as a country when they come back because they are going to come back with issues. they're going to come back with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder),” said Lucas.
But she also wants people to know that her message goes far beyond soldiers and their families, and applies to anyone facing difficult times in their lives.
"Whatever it is you are going through you can get through it, and we can fight adversity and be resilient and positive and help other people along the way," said Lucas.
She now lives here in Colorado Springs with her husband and daughter.
She says it’s important for everyone to learn about the challenges soldiers face when they come home from war.
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