Ty Ziegel – a gregarious young soldier from Metamora – joined the Marines shortly after high school graduation. Ziegel was sent to Iraq where his duties included regular patrols of the volatile Anbar province.

On Dec. 22, 2004, Lance Cpl. Ziegel was seriously wounded when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle full of explosives. Ziegel’s wounds included third degree burns over his face, head and arms, a broken jaw and shrapnel to the brain. His left hand and three fingers on his right hand were amputated.

Ziegel’s family scrambled to find a way to fly the thousands of miles to be at Ty’s bedside on short notice. That’s when Fisher House stepped in. The very next day – two days before Christmas – Fisher House flex the Ziegel family and Ty’s fiancé, Renee Kline, to his bedside at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Fisher House provided more than a dozen flights for Ty’s family members, who were instrumental in aiding Ty’s miraculous recovery. His family was also provided housing near the Medical Center.

After 59 surgeries and procedures, and a year and a half of medical treatment and recuperation, Ziegel returned home to Illinois to fulfill his biggest goal yet – marrying his high school sweetheart, Renee. In a beautiful ceremony in October, Ty and Renee promised to love and support each other forever.

Newly promoted Sgt. Ziegel now serves as a spokesman for the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund and Operation Hero Miles.

Ziegel, a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, was Lt. Governor Quinn’s guest at the 2006 World Series.