Injured Marine Receives Heartfelt Welcome Home
DENVER (CBS4)- There was a heartfelt welcome home for a local Marine Wednesday at Denver International Airport. Cpl. Gabriel Martinez lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Martinez, 22, is able to walk again. He's considered a miracle man to his family, who treated him to a hero's welcome at DIA Wednesday afternoon.
Martinez has been learning in California to master the prostheses that replaced both legs he lost in combat. The injured Marine knows the blast could have killed him, but he was fortunate.
"Obviously the big one is I don't want to die. And so, at that point, you know, I had that one-on-one with God that everyone has been hearing about. He asked me if I wanted to live and there's no other answer but yes," said Martinez.
Martinez's wife, Kayla, arrived with her husband at DIA. She's been at his side during his rehabilitation in California.
"When you're husband's in the military, you have to prepare yourself for that. It's something that you know is a possibility but you hope it doesn't happen. It wasn't that big of a shocker. I was kind of well prepared I guess," said Gabriel's wife Kayla.
It was the day after Thanksgiving when his family first learned of his injuries.
Martinez will be honored in a ceremony Thursday morning at the state Capitol.
