Most people who lose an arm, a leg, and several organs in a suicide bomb would call themselves victims. Tyler Vargas-Andrews refuses to.
His motto is simple: “Never a victim.”
“I’m a casualty of war — but I’ll never be a victim. That’s a choice,” he said proudly. “Weakness is a choice, happiness is a choice.”
Vargas-Andrews grew up in Northern California, near Travis Air Force Base, surrounded by a community of military families. After September 11, many of his friends’ parents deployed to Afghanistan. At first, he dreamed of being an astronaut, then a fighter pilot–until he learned he was color-deficient.
“That was off the table,” he said. Still, determined to serve, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
“I knew I wanted to be in the infantry, I knew I wanted to protect those less fortunate.”
On his second deployment, Vargas-Andrews was sent to Kabul to assist in evacuating U.S. personnel during the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We had watched the Global War on Terror transpire over our whole lives. This was our chance to do our part,” he recalled. I spent 10 days in Afghanistan before I got blown up.”
On August 26, 2021, a suicide bomber struck outside the airport, killing 13 American service members and 170 Afghans, injuring countless more.
“I lost my right arm, my left leg, and many organs,” Vargas-Andrews said.
He endured 49 surgeries and spent more than four months in the hospital. “I woke up and I decided to get back to the life I had to live. Failure was never an option.”
Looking back, he describes those days in Kabul with a mix of pain and pride.
“It was terrible, horrible, shameful. But the best way to describe it–if I were a professional baseball player, I would train and practice and work all to go out there and play in the majors. We have to go and do our jobs, operate, and help save people’s lives. Those were the 10 hardest, but best, days of my life.”
Despite his injuries, Vargas-Andrews calls enlisting the best decision he ever made.
“It shaped me into the man that I’m proud of,” he said. “Even though I was injured, even though I had friends who were killed right next to me, I gained so much. Leadership. Family values. The things I hold most dear.”
Medically retired in 2023, Vargas-Andrews hasn’t stopped serving.
“I’m close to the Gold Star families of those we lost that day. I advocate for the military and veteran community–online and on the Hill in D.C. As long as people are listening, I’ll use my platform for good.”
Now, he and his fiancée are planning a future beyond the battlefield–planning a wedding, a home, and hopefully someday, a family.
