Karina Petersen reports from Alabama.

Noah Galloway walks on a prosthetic leg. He was hit with a roadside bomb when serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq five years ago. His left arm and leg were amputated.



Noah, who lives in Alabaster, Alabama, wanted to help when tornadoes devastated the area. But when he came to the Samaritan’s Purse command post in the Birmingham area he didn’t know if we’d put him to work. He remembers thinking, “They probably looked at me and said, ‘What is he going to do? Are we going to sit him down somewhere, because you know, there are physical limitations?’”

Havard Harris, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member and Vietnam veteran, saw something different.

“I just saw a gung-ho guy,” Havard said. “You could see it in his face the way he carried himself. He can do anything he sets his mind to.”

Noah said, “I want to prove to myself and others that I can help out just as much as someone else, even with my injuries.”

And he did. After Noah, 30, signed up to volunteer, Havard sent him with a team to tarp a roof. Since then he’s worked at sites removing debris—wood logs, tree branches, and pieces of what used to be a roof.

“I look at people as people,” Havard said. “I try not to judge what they can or can’t do. They’re there to tell me or show me that they can do it. I could see the gleam in his eyes. He’s a guy that could do anything. You could see the strength in his arms, neck. He was strong before he lost his arm and his leg and he’s strong now.”




Noah concurs.

“Missing an arm and a leg, I cycle, I swim, I run,” he said. “I do all these things. I don’t let anything stop me. I just realize that yeah, I do things differently than other people, but I get it done. And when they see that, they say, ‘Oh, maybe I can do the same.’”

Indeed, Noah has been a tremendous encouragement to others. We’ve continued to see him inspire the Samaritan’s Purse staff, volunteers, and the homeowners we are helping. As a peer counselor for other amputees, Noah has been able to use his skills, gifts, and heart to help homeowners cope with the disaster.

“Basically, I signed up for worse things to happen to me than lose an arm and a leg,” he said. “These people did not sign up for this. These were their homes. This is where they were safe, and this happened. And for me, why does somebody join the military? They join the military because they care about their fellow countrymen and want to take care of others. Just because I’m not in the military anymore doesn’t mean that changes. I have no reason not to be out here.

“I don’t have the money to give as much as I’d like, so I donate my time, and that’s why I’m out here, just trying to get things done like everyone else. I’ve been impressed about Samaritan’s Purse. They’re an organization that’s bouncing around, getting things done, helping the communities that have been affected, and I think that’s great.”

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