Travis Mills served in the Army 82nd Airborne and was sent on three tours to the Middle East. On his third deployment, a bomb exploded near him and he lost all four limbs. Recovery was difficult across multiple facets of his life but he decided to never give up and never quit. Today, he is a businessman, motivational speaker, author and philanthropist. In this episode:

• Trying out college but learning that the military was a better path forward
• Joining the Army 82nd Airborne and going on three deployments
• Marrying his best friend’s sister and how they navigated long distance dating and marriage
• Best advice for young married couples before deployment … don’t call each other everyday! This will prevent mundane repetitiveness and dry conversation.
• Losing all four limbs by a bomb explosion during his third tour in Afghanistan
• Over 400 units of blood given to Travis on the operating table to save his life which is the most blood that has ever been given to someone in Afghanistan
• Overcoming the internal question, “Why didn’t I just die? How is this life better than death?”
• Why his wife decided to stick by his side through thick and thin
• Switching from questions of reasoning of his new reality to a mindset of “In it to Win it” for his wife and daughter
• Depending on nurses and family to help dress him, feed him, and assist him in the bathroom for the first five weeks
• No thoughts of suicide because he knew he could honor his fallen comrades by living his life to the fullest in memory of them
• Building the Travis Mills Foundation which helps injured veterans learn indoors and outdoors adaptive activities in Maine
• Living life with the motto, “Never give up. Never quit.”
• You can’t always control your situation, but you can control your attitude
• Writing the book Tough as They Come

You can learn more at travismills.org or find him on Instagram @ssgtravismills