An orthosis designed at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center provides a spring-like motion
(4 of 4)
This spring, Ryan is back with the Special Forces in Afghanistan, leg and all, running three or more miles at a time and hauling 100-lb. rucksacks with his fellow Green Berets. For the past few months he has been conducting combat patrols over rough terrain. With his orthosis and a lot of training, he's back to about 90% of his former strength. "Given an injury of this significance," he says, "it's the best of a worst-case scenario."
FOR MORE STORIES BY NATE RAWLINGS, GO TO time.com/battleland
