Garrett Illerbrunn
Garrett served as an Apache Helicopter Instructor Pilot, one of the most demanding roles in Army aviation. On Christmas morning, 2023, Garrett was on his second deployment in Iraq when a drone strike shattered the trajectory of his life.
Garrett Illerbrunn with His Family
The Pilot Who Never Stopped Fighting
On Christmas morning, 2023, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Garrett Illerbrunn was on his second deployment in Iraq when a drone strike tore through his body and shattered the trajectory of his life. He was airlifted to Baghdad in critical condition where surgeons cut into his skull to remove shrapnel from his brain and to relieve the pressure building inside.
After being stabilized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, Garrett was transferred to a trauma center in Virginia. By the time the world stopped spinning, he was a quadriplegic. His memory was altered and his body stilled, but the man who had refused to quit a dozen times over was still here.
It was a catastrophic moment for a man who had never taken no for an answer.
His Determination Started on a Farm in North Dakota
Hard work and perseverance were simply a way of life for Garrett as he grew up on his family’s farm in Langdon, North Dakota. Before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 2005, he worked as a heavy equipment operator, a man more at home with big machines than most. He joined as an Apache helicopter crew chief, but from his first day in the cockpit, he had his sights set higher: he wanted to fly.
Garrett applied to flight school seven times before he was accepted. Most people would have stopped trying. Garrett didn't. His determination paid off, and he went on to serve as an Apache helicopter Instructor Pilot, one of the most demanding roles in Army aviation. He deployed to Afghanistan three times, and twice to Iraq.
A Love Story Born in Afghanistan
It was on his second deployment to Afghanistan that Garrett's life changed in the best possible way. In 2013, while deployed to Jalalabad, he met Lorna, a Black Hawk pilot serving with the New Hampshire National Guard. Two Army aviators, a world away from home, found each other in one of the most remote postings on earth.
They married in 2015. Their son Tucker was born shortly after. Garrett continued flying with the 10th Mountain Division, and Lorna served as a National Guard Black Hawk pilot. Together, they were a military family who understood sacrifice, and each other.
"His Infectious Sense of Humor Has Remained Intact — Which Is Such a Blessing"
Today, Garrett resides in a long-term care VA facility in Boston. Though the drone strike profoundly affected his memory and cognitive abilities, his wife Lorna finds reason for hope in the moments that remain. "His infectious sense of humor has remained intact," she says, "which is such a blessing." He recognizes Lorna, Tucker, and people from his past. He can smile, laugh, and enjoy small moments.
Lorna and Tucker relocated to Rye, New Hampshire — close to Garrett's care facility — to visit him as often as possible.
It has not been an easy road. Lorna was in the final semester of Nurse Practitioner school when Garrett was injured. She pressed on, completed her degree, and is now pursuing her doctorate, focused on caregivers for injured veterans. Tucker, now 10 years old, is thriving in school and on the soccer field.
"We Will Play the Hand We Are Dealt to the Absolute Best of Our Ability"
Lorna's vision for her family is clear; she wants Garrett home. She wants him to recover and rehabilitate surrounded by the people who love him, where family moments are possible, and where healing can happen in the context of family life.
"We hope to find a way to not only survive, but thrive as a family and inspire others for what is possible in difficult situations," Lorna says. She dreams of marking Garrett's "alive day" every Christmas, the anniversary of his injury, with a toast surrounded by family and friends.
"In short, we will play the hand we are dealt to the absolute best of our ability."
With your support, the Gary Sinise Foundation will provide Garrett and his family with a mortgage-free, specially adapted smart home in the Rye, New Hampshire area — a home engineered for his complex needs, where an Army pilot who never stopped fighting, and the family that never stopped loving him, can face the future together.
