Andrew Knisely doesn't remember the moment he lost his leg. But he remembers the moment right after.
"I didn't get scared at all, I remember being completely calm," the 24-year-old Razorback infantryman recalls of the January day when a roadside bomb exploded to his right while on patrol in the Panjwai District of Afghanistan's Kandahar Province.
"As soon as I hit the ground, I remember that ... you know, they got me."
It was a crucial moment for the young soldier, who'd already walked more than 200 kilometres on foot patrols through the volatile region.
The blast not only cost him a leg but severed a nerve in his right arm, forever changing two vital aspects of the job he loves so much.
"We're amongst the public so we get to see what they're doing," Knisely told
CityNews' Gord Martineau during a visit to Afghanistan in November. "We get to meet them, shake their hands."
Depending on how you view the ongoing conflict, it's either an honour or an order the affable young man won't have anymore.
Not that it's shaken his good spirit. Or his belief in the value of Canada's mission in the battle-scarred country.
"Long before I even got there I knew exactly what I was getting into," he admits.
"It's gonna take a while, unfortunately, but it's only a matter of time before they're self sufficient."
Which to some extent could also apply to Knisely. But he's ever optimistic even with the extensive surgery and months of rehab that lie ahead.
"My face is good, I've got all my working parts," he says with a smile, looking downward. "I'll be able to get by."
Soldier Profiled By CityNews Suffers Serious Wounds In Afghanistan