File:Amputee continues to lead Marines at School of Infantry 130715-M-OM885-021.jpg

English: Gunnery Sgt. Gabriel Guest, a native of Spokane, Wash., continues to mentor and lead Marines as the chief instructor at the Advanced Machine Gunners course at Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry - West, after having his left leg amputated Oct. 10, 2012. Guest was on a patrol during combat operations in Afghanistan in 2008 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, ejecting him from the humvee and causing three different compound fractures in his left leg. After years of physical therapy and more than 25 surgeries, Guest was able to jog again but only for short moments. He exercised to improve his condition when his leg became repeatedly infected and he was left with only three options: fuse his leg straight allowing no bending in the knee, perform a total knee replacement with risk of future infections, or amputation of the leg. More than four years after being struck by an IED, Guest had his leg amputated. Guest now continues his Marine Corps career through the Expanded Permanent Limited Duty program, which allows Marines who incurred significant combat injuries that would normally restrict them from continuing their Marine Corps service to continue their careers by mentoring Marines through their leadership skills complemented by combat experience.