On Wednesday, Iraq war veteran David Mayer is going to be at the general meeting of the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291, along with his mother and father. He will speak about the organization he is establishing to build homes for veterans who have suffered debilitating injuries in the military, according to Jess Lawson, 3rd vice commander of Post 291.
Army Specialist Mayer was on his second tour of duty in Iraq when he lost both of his legs in an attack on his convoy on March 14, 2008. En route to a mission in Baghdad, Mayer's vehicle was struck in Al-Hillah by an explosively formed penetrator, which caused him to be thrown into the gunner's cage and be severely injured by shrapnel. Mayer and two other soldiers suffered serious injuries, leaving each of them as bilateral amputees. Airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, Mayer was later transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. where he underwent therapies and treatments.
