Marine Corporal Nick Perales
Perales joined the United States Marine Corps after graduating from high school in Bandera, Texas.
His older brother, Armando, had been serving in the Corps for three years, and Nick admired his brother’s commitment to his country and his fellow Marines. Sharing the same tireless commitment as his older brother, Perales set on the path to becoming a scout sniper.
Corporal Perales served two combat tours, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, while assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
In Afghanistan, Perales was assigned to a sniper team with the mission to neutralize IED (Improvised Explosive Device) implacers that were targeting his platoon.
On February 2, 2011, while conducting sniper operations in the Helmand Province, Perales stepped on a pressure plate IED. After a Medevac flight evacuated him to the combat hospital at Bagram Airbase, Nick underwent emergency stabilization surgery. He was then flown to Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany where he underwent several critical surgeries, before being transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
Nick sustained numerous injuries, including a right leg amputation, a fractured left leg limb salvage with ankle fusion, a fractured knee and hand and a fractured pelvis.
Perales was moved to Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas to be closer to family. There, Nick began the grueling process of physical therapy and recovery. Nick’s sister, Larissa, has been a key part of his recovery plan and has been living with him while going to college and serving as a care provider.
Corporal Perales has earned numerous military awards and combat decorations, including a Purple Heart.
The Texas Sentinels Foundation would like to thank the many contributors to Corporal Perales’ home, including:
