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Cpl. Matthew Bradford of Winchester, a blind double amputee, recently re-enlisted in the Marine Corps. Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Express-News.

Semper fidelis, the Marine Corps motto, is a Latin phrase meaning “Always faithful.”

Few exemplify its meaning better than one of Winchester’s own, Cpl. Matthew Bradford.

The kind of injuries he suffered would have caused most men or women to throw in the towel, but Bradford is a fighter. While fighting for his country, he lost his eyesight and both legs to a roadside bomb while on combat duty in Iraq in 2007. Now he’ll be fighting for his fellow wounded veterans at Camp Lejeune, N.C., as they battle their handicaps.

Recently, Bradford became the first blind, double amputee in the nation’s history to re-enlist in the armed forces.

His courage and sacrifice have earned him many commendations, but I want to add this small one.

We should all be proud to know we have men of Matt Bradford’s character serving our country, often under the most trying circumstances.

Here’s a big thumbs up to him.

And I also want to thank the San Antonio Express-News for allowing us to reprint the excellent feature story they published about Bradford.

You can read the story at http://www.winchestersun.com/stories/2010/04/20/loc.785232.sto