The Story of How a Double Amputee Veteran Went From Afghanistan to Congress – Fox News Insider
Abby Huntsman traveled to Washington for an up-close look at a day in the life of Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who continues to serve after losing both of his legs in Afghanistan.
Mast, who was elected to the House of Representatives last November, served as a U.S. Army bomb technician and was severely injured in an IED explosion in Sept. 2010.
The 36-year-old veteran sat down with Huntsman and to discuss the attack and why he decided to continue his service by running for Congress.
Mast was on a team clearing explosive devices for Army Rangers in southern Afghanistan when they came to a river that he suspected was mined by the enemy.
The team stopped, but one soldier fell in the waterway. He moved to help pull the soldier out, but stepped on an explosive device.
He said he remembers being thrown five to 10 feet away in a cloud of dust and hearing urgent messages on the radio as his fellow soldiers called for medical help.
Mast told Huntsman that he woke up at a hospital in Washington, D.C. to see that he had lost his legs.
Luckily, a friend had tracked him down, contacted his wife, gotten a family photograph and taped it to Mast's hospital gurney.
"He did it so that the first thing I would ever see would be my wife and my son looking back at me," Mast said.
Mast said that he also received support and inspiration from his father.
"He said, 'Brian, you can't let this keep you down. You've got to find a way to pull yourself up, get out there and get back to work,'" Mast said.
He revealed that helped him realize that he still had a purpose in life and he could still contribute on a different battlefield: Congress.
He told Huntsman that the job can be difficult and arduous, but it's all worth it to continue serving the American people.
"When you accomplish something great, when you go out there and do something great for the people back home, for the country, for freedom, for standing up for the Constitution, for fiscal responsibility, you've accomplished something good," Mast said. "And it makes every sacrifice worth it."
Watch the full inspiring story above and don't miss Abby on Saturday and Sunday mornings on "Fox & Friends Weekend."
Trump Signs 'Buy American' Order: 'It's America First, You Better Believe It'
De Blasio Tweets His Tax Returns: 'See, President Trump? It's Not That Hard'
Bolton: Nuclear Weapons Program Is North Korea's 'Ace in the Hole'
Judge Nap: After Obama, It's 'Newsworthy' When Feds Enforce Immigration Law
See more here:
The Story of How a Double Amputee Veteran Went From Afghanistan to Congress - Fox News Insider
- FIFA sanctions creation of Afghanistan womens refugee team - The Athletic - The New York Times - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Voices of Afghanistan Interview Series: 'We, the female doctorsonce symbols of womens progress, ability, and independenceare now facing barriers,... - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- FIFA OKs creation of Afghanistan womens refugee team - Field Level Media - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Journalist Kim Cross on reconstructed narratives and the women who led a cycling revolution in Afghanistan - Nieman Storyboard - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Taliban Earning Billions, Giving American Weaponry to Terrorist Groups as Afghanistan Once Again Becomes Jihadi Hotbed: Report - freebeacon.com - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Gender Apartheid And Mental Health Crisis In Afghanistan - Forbes - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- BEHIND THE BADGE: Jonathan "Joey" Jones Previews New Book, Weighs in on Biden's Gaza Pier and Afghanistan Withdraw Disasters - FOX News... - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Suspended/Closed Health Facilities due to the U.S. Government Work-Stop Ban (Update as of 6 May 2025) - ReliefWeb - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Muhajira: A Girl Born on the Border Between Afghanistan and Pakistan - ReliefWeb - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Commentary: Trump caved to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Will he repeat in the Russia-Ukraine talks? - Yahoo - May 10th, 2025 [May 10th, 2025]
- Lavrov Warns NATO Of 'Time Bomb' in Afghanistan Over Military Redeployment Attempts | Watch - Times of India - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- MTN leaves Afghanistan, hands over to M1 Group - Developing Telecoms - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Governments of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan to sign railway project - AzerNews - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Afghan-American appointed to lead U.S. policy on Afghanistan at the State Department - ASIA-Plus - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Veterans who each lost part of a leg in Afghanistan try for new world record with Grand Canyon hike - Stars and Stripes - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Suspended/Closed Health Facilities due to the U.S. Government Work-Stop Ban (Update as of 22 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- On This Day in 2008, a Mortar Attack Halts Toby Keiths USO Concert in Afghanistan - American Songwriter - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- Pakistan, Russia agree to boost cooperation on terrorism threats in Afghanistan - MSN - April 25th, 2025 [April 25th, 2025]
- US weapons left behind in Afghanistan now with Taliban: Why is Pakistan ringing alarm bells? - Firstpost - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan womens team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - AP News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Trump administration ending temporary protected status for nationals from Afghanistan and Cameroon - Scripps News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- US restores urgent food aid, except in Afghanistan and Yemen, two of the worlds poorest countries - AP News - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - MSN - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Has Taliban Handed Over Bagram Airbase to US? | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G - Firstpost - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Terrorists used US weapons abandoned in Afghanistan in Jaffer Express attack: report - Dawn - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Anti-US banner appears on former embassy in Afghanistan - Caliber.Az - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - The Derrick - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Afghanistan women's team gets funding from the International Cricket Council - Traverse City Record-Eagle - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- Taliban carries out public execution of two men in western Afghanistan - Times of India - April 14th, 2025 [April 14th, 2025]
- 'Trump and Afghanistan are the perfect illustration of America withdrawing into itself' - Le Monde.fr - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: 'No one prioritizes women's lives.' - NPR - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Banned from education: A review of the right to education in Afghanistan - UNESCO - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- The Taliban leader says there is no need for Western laws in Afghanistan - AP News - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- ACAPS Thematic report - Afghanistan: Implications of the US foreign aid cuts on the humanitarian response (01 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- American woman held in Afghanistan by the Taliban has been released, AP source says - AP News - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- India says it is monitoring reports of abuse against Sikhs in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Amu TV - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- EU and Central Asian leaders urge inclusive government in Afghanistan - News.az - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- About 140 years old: the oldest person on Earth lives in Afghanistan - EADaily - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Trump hands Taliban-controlled Afghanistan the same 'Liberation Day' tariff as the UK 'after terror group spen - Daily Mail - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan ,Italy, Poland, Spain, South Korea And More Countries Propel Gilans Tourism To... - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Suspended/Closed Health Facilities due to the U.S. Government Work-Stop Ban (Update as of 1 April 2025) - ReliefWeb - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Bidens Failure in Afghanistan: Public Relations Was the Concern Not the Dissent Cable - American Center for Law and Justice - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- TTP, BLA's armament: Pakistan urges UNSC to prevent weapons' access to terrorists in Afghanistan - Geo.tv - April 5th, 2025 [April 5th, 2025]
- Taliban frees an American man who was abducted while traveling in Afghanistan more than 2 years ago - The Associated Press - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American George Glezmann freed by Taliban more than 2 years after arrest in Afghanistan - CBS News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- George Glezmann, US man detained in Afghanistan in 2022, released by Taliban in goodwill gesture - The Times of India - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American detained by Taliban in Afghanistan is freed in deal mediated by Qatar - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan: Security Council renews UN mission as WHO warns of health catastrophe - UN News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released - AOL - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Taliban frees an American man who was abducted while traveling in Afghanistan more than 2 years ago - The Sun Chronicle - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - iHeart - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan's school year begins without girls beyond sixth grade - News.Az - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - KLVI - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- American Detained In Afghanistan By The Taliban Has been Released - WIMA - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Swiss government to deport rejected asylum seekers from Afghanistan - SWI swissinfo.ch in English - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- US citizen George Glezmann released from detention in Afghanistan - Herald Palladium - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- India ranks 118th in World Happiness Report, Afghanistan is last - Deccan Herald - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- We have no presence in India, Afghanistan or anywhere else: BLA - News Vibes of India - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Afghanistan trying to connect with neighbors via railway - Pajhwok Afghan News - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- 80% Of Afghanistan Services Risk Shutdown By June: World Health Organization - NDTV - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- British pensioners jailed in Afghanistan to appear in court after the Taliban said their arrest was a 'misunde - Daily Mail - March 20th, 2025 [March 20th, 2025]
- Why is India quietly boosting ties with Afghanistan's Taliban? - Nikkei Asia - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan vets group to step down later this spring - Military Times - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Explained: Trump travel ban 2.0 to affect 43 countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan - The Indian Express - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- NewsMakers Afghanistan and the Future of American - Home - The Commune - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- He helped in Afghanistan. Now, his family is blocked from coming to Charlotte under Trump. - Charlotte Observer - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Health Crisis in Afghanistan: 206,000 Infected with Acute Respiratory Diseases in One Month - Hasht-e Subh Daily - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Rule Breakers review: Terrific drama shows the battle for girls' education in Afghanistan - New Scientist - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Trump calls US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan most humiliating moment in history - Amu TV - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- UAE expands healthcare access with state-of-the-art clinics in Afghanistan - The Tribune India - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Pakistan, Afghanistan among 43 nations to be put in Trump administration's new travel ban list - Connected to India - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- I served in Afghanistan. President Trumps war on DEI is making Americas military weaker - Stars and Stripes - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Pakistan says train attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan: It was like a rain of rockets and bullets - The Independent - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- UAE expands healthcare access with state-of-the-art clinics in Afghanistan - ETHealthWorld - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Hizb-ut-Tahrir Afghanistan: West Is Trying To Assimilate Taliban - Middle East Media Research Institute - March 15th, 2025 [March 15th, 2025]
- Remarks by Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Charg dAffaires, at a UN Security Council Briefing on Afghanistan - United States Mission to the United Nations - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Afghanistan Monthly Protection Update As of January 2025 - ReliefWeb - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, 10 March 2025 -... - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- The UK unequivocally condemns the Talibans ban on girls' education in Afghanistan: UK statement at the UN Security Council - GOV.UK - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]
- A War and the Taliban: Life of a Greek Woman in Male-Dominated Afghanistan - Greek Reporter - March 11th, 2025 [March 11th, 2025]