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Biography:

Sergeant Sam Cila was a New York native when September 11^th rocked the nation. He watched the buildings fall and the selfless service of firemen, policemen and EMT’s work as they worked, dedicated to their mission. This event spurred Sam to action and on November 15, 2001, he enlisted into the U.S. Army.

Sam was deployed to Iraq in October 2004. His year-long tour had almost ended when he was injured by an IED blast on July 4, 2005.  He credits his survival to the quick response of his teammates and the medic. The blast damaged his left side, destroying the brachial artery and almost all of his left bicep and tricep.  Over the next three years, Sam underwent over 40 surgeries in an attempt to fight his inevitable amputation.

The Mission Continues allows Sam to utilize his leadership skills and talents through public outreach and speaking engagements, on behalf of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) and their Wounded Veterans Initiative program. He looks forward to helping his military teammates, providing support to those incoming veterans who have applied for a dog and participating in a team training class. He also does demonstrations and presentations on behalf of the Wounded Veterans Initiative. Sam also plans to attend school and complete a degree in public communication.  His goal is to become a motivational speaker about leadership and teamwork. 

In His Words:

After my return home and hospital stays I was lost.  Lost without a team; lost without a mission.  I was trying to re-identify myself as a husband, father and soldier.  Along the way, so many have helped to give me direction and hope.  Continuing to aid not only veterans, but also the community, is very important to me. To be a good leader, you must communicate effectively and be patient and committed to completing your mission.  My time as a leader in the military has trained me well for this upcoming task.  I will attack this challenge as I have attacked the challenges in my past.