Sgt. Anthony Arriaga

Despite taking a bullet from a sniper in Marjah, Afghanistan, which left him paralyzed below the knee in one leg, Sgt. Anthony Arriaga has never stopped moving forward.

The father of two was serving with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines when he suffered the injury while fighting his way out of an ambush during a combat patrol in 2010. The wound severed a nerve and blew out a portion of his thigh, landing Arriaga in the Wounded Warriors Battalion after four years in the Corps and three deployments.

Arriaga, however, fought to stay in the Corps. He encouraged other injured veterans, helping them recover, find employment or pursue higher education. Though Arriaga will lose his leg this summer-multiple attempts to rejuvenate it have failed, he said - the sergeant has successfully transferred from a rifleman to a member of Marine Corps Intelligence Activity.

Notable quote from his nomination: "[Instead] of focusing on just himself, Arriaga chose - and chooses to continue - to think of others and give back," wrote his company commander in the sergeant's nomination form. "Regardless of where the future of his injuries and future surgeries take him, he will always have the Marine Corps on his mindset and how to make it better by educating and motivating the future generations to come."