At 4 a.m. Nov. 10, 2004, Army Staff Sgt. Dan Nevins and his convoy departed for a mission in Balad, Iraq. Less than a mile from base, their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED). “The 18,000 pound truck was sent into the air in a ball of fire. During the explosion I could feel and hear the truck disintegrate around my body,” said Nevins. “There was no pain at first. But then, every single micro movement was like torture.”

Nevins not only lost a close friend that night; his legs were peppered with shrapnel and he was pinned in the vehicle. That night, Nevins was moments away from losing his life.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said. “My femoral artery was cut in half and I know I didn’t have a lot of time. My team put themselves in harm’s way to get to me. My truck was still on fire, but they got me out, put the tourniquet on, started an I.V. and slowed the bleeding down enough to allow the medics to arrive. Then, combat medicine took over.”

Nevins was airlifted to Joint Airbase Balad where surgeons removed his left leg. He was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he said he learned the value of military medicine. Because the second battle of Fallujah had begun only days earlier, as Nevins underwent daily surgeries to clean his wounds, he saw scores of injured servicemen and women follow him into Landstuhl.

As an eyewitness to the work of the military medical professionals at Landstuhl, Nevins said, “I watched them. Every single member of that staff was perpetually busy saving lives with efficiency, tact and grace, just reacting so swiftly under pressure.”

Military medicine continued to impress Nevins when he arrived stateside at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. (before creation of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland). “I knew I was in good hands,” said Nevins. “I was in this space with these incredibly talented surgeons, and the best physical therapists surrounding us, urging us to take part in our recovery.”

“Despite the necessity of having his badly damaged right leg removed surgically a few years after the IED incident, Nevins remains grateful to the military men and women who saved his life, and shared his story at the 2015 Heroes of Military Medicine Awards dinner. The awards are presented by the  Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine through its Center for Public-Private Partnerships. The gala pays tribute to the men and women who save the lives of America’s sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines, and recognizes the critical role that military medical professionals play in making each of the services mission-ready.”

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, who also spoke at the event, said Nevins’ tale was inspiring and a true testament to the men and women of the Military Health System.

“Sergeant Nevins’ personal story of courage, resilience and recovery is moving by itself, “said Woodson. “But his eyewitness account of the everyday professionalism and perseverance of our military medical team is inspiring to everyone who serves in our system. This is what we do. This is why we exist. And we are better at this work than anyone else in the world. Military medicine is not a ‘pickup game.’ Our ability to save Sergeant Nevins’ life – and thousands of others -- emerges from the team approach to health care that we practice every day.”

The 2015 Hero of Military Medicine Senior Leader honoree, Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, also expressed his admiration for the dedicated professionals in the medical community and their tireless efforts to help others. "Our medical professionals are a critical part of the military team," said Greenert. "From treating acute trauma on the battlefield to maintaining the health of our force, our families and our retirees at home, they provide the health care needs that are key to mission accomplishment and peace of mind."

Today Nevins, now medically retired, said he regrets nothing that happened. He believes a world without military medicine would be detrimental to everyone.

“The men and women I met during my journey are healers by nature. Some aren’t with the military today but they help heal invisible wounds working with PTSD and mental health, or social work or law enforcement,” said Nevins. “They learned these skills while in the service and are taking those skills into the world and making it a better place, and it was all born in combat medicine.”