On the day 1stLt Travis Manion (USMC) died on April 29, 2007, he was on a mission with fellow Marine Chuck Segel in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. When they were ambushed searching an insurgent’s home, Chuck was wounded and pulled to safety by Travis, who was then fatally shot by an enemy sniper. 

Years later, while still dealing with the trauma from that day, Chuck found TMF President Ryan Manion, Travis’ sister, on social media. They had a brief conversation, which they both found healing, and left it (largely) at that. A couple of years later, when Ryan was asked to speak at The Home Depot corporate headquarters in Atlanta, she decided to invite Chuck since he lived nearby. 

After that speech, Chuck left feeling inspired by Ryan’s commitment to carrying out her brother’s legacy through service. He contacted her again, and in February 2020, after nearly 13 years of living with survivor guilt and doing his best to heal, Chuck decided to take another approach. Alongside Ryan, he traveled with other veterans and family members of fallen heroes to Puerto Rico, where he worked to rebuild and repair homes damaged by Hurricane Maria.

Learn more about Chuck’s journey of healing, and how TMF has inspired him to continue honoring the legacy of his fallen brothers and sisters in arms through service.