Staff Sgt. Shilo Harris, 'The Man of Steel Will'

Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Shilo Harris is a man of courage and faith. 

On his second deployment, the U.S. Army veteran sustained catastrophic injuries when his humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device or IED.

He spent nearly three years in the burn unit of Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Today, he is a motivational speaker, encouraging people to welcome home veterans and wounded warriors with open arms. 

CBN News caught up with Harris in Virginia Beach and discovered his military journey began when he enlisted after 9/11.

Staff Sgt. (Ret.) Shilo Harris shares his powerful story with CBN News. Watch the interview by clicking the player above.

"It was a day that just shook the very pillars of our nation," Harris told CBN News. "We lost almost 4,000 innocent lives in a matter of hours and one of the worst attacks in history."

"Coming from a family of veterans, it was an easy decision for me. I knew that I wanted to join the military even though I was 27 years old, so that's what I do," he shared. 

It was February 2007 when Harris came upon an IED. His humvee was the third truck in a convoy.

"It blew three of the four humvee doors off, blew the entire top of the truck off; it was the result of a 700-pound IED buried in the road," Harris explained. "I lost three soldiers that day also, and I have to say that that's probably the worst part of all of this."

"I'm very blessed to be here. My driver and I were the only two that survived," he continued.

The walking miracle described his injuries as "a laundry list of things:" 35 percent full-thickness burns mostly on his upper torso, a couple of chipped bones, a broken clavicle, and a few amputated fingers.

Harris endured 75 surgeries and has 85 percent scar tissue from head to toe, after doctors grafted good skin onto severely burned areas that would have a tough time regenerating skin.

"They had to rebuild my nose, and of course they took pieces from here and there to fix this and that," he calmly shared, as he removed a prosthetic ear.

The motivational speaker, however, hasn't always been comfortable with sharing his testimony.

"To be honest, I've actually tried to get out of speaking a few times just because it's very hard on not just me but on the family," Harris told CBN News. "But I kept asking God for signs: 'Is this the path that you want me on? Is this what you want me to do?'"

"As Dave Roever says, 'The scars heal,' and I've learned that. God's given me what I need to help people," he continued. "It was really that journey through hell that has led me to that point, and I guess you could say hours and hours of prayer and guidance."

Roever is another walking miracle. He was burned beyond recognition in the Vietnam War, and today, is also a motivational speaker.

Harris believes he's right where God wants him to be.

"Everything has led me to this point, where we decided to write the book, and then, obviously, I'm out there speaking, and it's all a part of God's plan," he said.

"It's a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, but faith can get you through just about anything," he continued. "I choose to be a Christian and believe in Jesus, and if I didn't have my faith, I honestly don't know where I'd be because I've hit the bottom more than once."

"And I've just been very blessed that the Lord has helped me climb out and find that light again in my life," he said.        

Harris wrote a book with educator Robin Overby Cox about his experience, entitled, Steel Will: My Journey Through Hell To Become the Man I Was Meant To Be.

"The writer and I as we talked about it, she was like, 'You've been through so much... you'd think that it would have broke(n) you at some point.' And... I said, 'I guess I'm just tough as steel,'" Harris explained.

"Then one of my buddies, he started calling me 'the man of steel will,' and anyway(s), it just all kind of came together," he said. 

"I think it's a book for everybody," he continued. "I believe that the epidemic that we're facing right now with veteran suicides and the divorce rates and everything else that we're faced with with these multiple deployments and long wartime, I think that it's an education on everybody's part."

"The community and the veterans both should read this book because it helps them better understand what service members go through," Harris said. "And for the service members, it also lets them know that their story isn't so unique."

"This is just a way of helping understand the things that I went through, hopefully to help guide some of these veterans and the communities to help each other and come together."   

What kind of legacy does this courageous veteran want to leave?

"I just want to be remembered as a good man; I want to be remembered as a good father, and when the time comes, I want to go home," he said.