Five years ago, Col. Tim Karcher’s life changed when an explosively formed projectile struck his humvee June 28, 2009, in Sadr City, Iraq, severing his legs above the knee.

Through an extensive recovery process and learning to adapt to prosthetic legs, Karcher worked hard to ensure his and his Family’s lives would remain as normal as possible, including his continued service in the Army.

Karcher’s injuries prevented him from further service on the frontlines as an infantry officer, but not from other areas where his experience and knowledge could still benefit Soldiers.

Today, as the chief of staff at West Fort Hood’s Operational Test Command, Karcher still serves the Army, in a different capacity.

“I’ve got to accept my limitations,” he said.

For Karcher, those limitations include not being able to wear body armor or Kevlar.

Instead of leading Soldiers in combat, Karcher now helps ensure Soldiers on the battlefield have the best possible equipment available to them. He also has the continued opportunity to work with Soldiers, something he loves to do.

“I get to do that in this position,” he said. “Here, we make sure they have the best equipment money can buy to make them successful in their missions.”

The last five years, Karcher’s daily routine has involved “some assembly required,” he said, adding that it has made him look at obstacles and decide if they are worth the effort.

“There are some things I look at, and they’re just more difficult than they are worth,” he said. “I have to weigh if the effort is worth the investment.”

Since his injury, his challenges can range from curbs to SCUBA diving.

While he was recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center, Karcher participated in an adaptive SCUBA class. He had not been diving for about 15 years, and he thought it would be a good opportunity.

During the open water dive in a spring-fed lake in San Marcos, he saw the challenges – webbed gloves to help propel underwater because he did not have legs to kick, and the tedious task of handing the equipment up and climbing a ladder after the dive.

“After that, I decided I will dive if it’s the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

Life involves constant assessments, Karcher said, but added that is no different than anyone else.

“It is what it is,” he said. “You figure it out. You have to.”

While many people weigh an opportunity by driving distance or cost to participate, Karcher also considers parking availability and stairs.

Stairs, and his decision to forego a set, led Karcher to accept a recent honor from the floor in front of a stage during the Bell County Judge and Commissioners’ Committee on People with Disabilities.

Col. Tim Karcher, chief of staff, USAOTC, talks about unseen behavioral health challenges faced by service members Oct. 7 while accepting the Bell County Judge and Commissioners’ Committee on People with Disabilities’ Military Service Award at the Bell County Expo Center. (Photo by Heather Graham-Ashley, Sentinel News Editor)

His injuries and decision to continue his military career have often placed Karcher in the position of speaking with audiences about disabilities, especially those of wounded service members.

This year, Karcher received the committee’s Military Service Award Oct. 7 at the Bell County Expo Center. During his remarks, Karcher diverted the attention from his own physical challenges and instead turned the focus on another, often ignored, type of disability.

“It’s easy to identify or recognize somebody like me,” Karcher said, noting his cane and uneven gait. “I’d like to highlight for y’all a group of our servicemen and women that are often overlooked when we talk about disabilities.”

Physical disabilities are obvious, he said, but it’s the behavioral health challenges that often are not seen or are overlooked, or just uncomfortable to discuss.

Karcher said sometimes those unseen conditions can offer greater challenges than a physical injury or illness.

He noted that his mornings begin with “some assembly required,” but otherwise, his life goes on and he goes through a relatively normal day.

The same cannot always be said for those with post traumatic stress or traumatic brain injuries, Karcher said.

“For our servicemen and women with behavioral health challenges, each day often brings far more significant challenges,” he said. “Imagine not being able to leave your house on a given morning because of some very real, yet irrational fear or not being able to go to an event with this many people in it because you’ve got this sense of hyper vigilance each and every moment you’re out in a crowd. “

Karcher noted the difficulties faced by those with post-concussive disorders.

“Imagine having a cognitive disorder where you can’t remember various dates and things you’re supposed to do,” he said. “You can’t remember names of folks when you meet them.”

These unseen challenges often adversely affect employment options, he said.

For many service members, these challenges are crippling, but are often overlooked by others.

“When we talk about disabilities, oftentimes we don’t talk about these challenges,” he said.

Karcher said these challenges should be addressed and treated on par with other disabilities.

“Unintentionally, we may relegate these challenges to something less than those faced by folks with physical disabilities, but I would argue that they’re far often much more challenging than just a physical disability,” Karcher said. “If we highlight these things, we illustrate the legitimacy of these disabilities and we also show the impact on our fellow citizens.”

Events such as the awards dinner are an opportunity to recognize those with unseen challenges and to accept their struggles, Karcher said.

“Through events like this one, we can show real understanding of the full gamut of disabilities – physical and behavioral health,” he said, “and we can acknowledge the sacrifices of those who deal with those disabilities.”