Cory Remsburg was born in Phoenix, AZ, but moved to St. Louis, MO, as a teenager, where he attended Ritenour Junior High and High School in Overland, MO. During high school, he was active in marching band, orchestra and jazz band. He also belonged to the German club, participated on the varsity volleyball team and, ultimately, became interested in the Army Rangers.

Military Career

In 2001, on his 18th birthday, he joined the U.S. Army. He completed his basic training and advanced individual training at Ft. Benning, GA, and later earned his Ranger tab at the Ranger School at Ft. Benning. Remsburg was assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, GA, in 2002.

During the following years, Cory’s overseas deployments included six combat tours in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and four tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; a total of 39 months of combat service.

On 1 October 2009, SFC Remsburg was on his tenth combat rotation with U.S. Operations Command when he and his squad were conducting a combat operation involving multiple enemy contacts in Kandahar, Afghanistan. As they walked, an improvised explosive device (IED) was set off on the side of the road they were traveling.

The explosion killed a fellow Ranger, wounded seven others, and blew Cory into a canal, face down in a pool of water, with a penetrating head wound. Due to the heroic actions of his fellow Rangers, Cory was rescued and immediate life-saving medical care was rendered. He was taken by helicopter to Kandahar Air Base, then to Bagram Airfield, where he had surgery on his most serious injuries. Cory then spent two weeks at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further life-saving medical treatment. On 16 October 2009, Cory was transported to Bethesda Naval Hospital where he spent the next two weeks in the intensive care unit.

On 12 November 2009, Cory was transferred to the James Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL. After over 3 months in a coma, he started to emerge into consciousness. After nearly 15 months since his injury and being hospitalized, SFC Remsburg was moved to out-patient status, getting an apartment in Tampa and continuing his daily occupational, physical, vision and speech therapies at the Tampa VA Med Center.

SFC Remsburg took his recovery to the next level, moving from Tampa, FL to Los Angeles, CA and participating in the inpatient Casa Colina Transitional Living Center program. This program continued providing Cory therapy services with an emphasis on learning to become ‘independent’. Cory participated in this program for 15 months.

The last planned leg of Cory’s recovery was his trip home. He moved home to Gilbert, AZ, on 27 April 2013, and continues with therapy and medical treatment from the Phoenix VA system. Cory also transitioned to an apartment for independence learning.

Medals, Awards, Badges & Tabs

Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with Combat Valor Device
Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Good Conduct Medal with 3 Bronze Loops
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Service Star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Service Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
Army Presidential Unit Citation
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
Combat Infantryman Badge
Expert Infantryman Badge
Senior Parachutist Badge
Military Free Fall Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab

Honors

On 28 January 2014, SFC Cory Remsburg was a guest of the President of the United States at the annual State of the Union Address, where he received the longest standing ovation of the evening.