Wounds to Victory: Serving America’s At-Risk Veterans
Photos courtesy of Octavio Sanchez
Left: Vanette and Octavio Sanchez at a U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) ball before his military Humvee rolled over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Ramadi, Iraq, in June 2005, resulting in burns over 70% of his body.
Right: Octavio is honored at Dodgers Stadium for his military service and sacrifice.
This cannot be happening to me! Sgt. Octavio Sanchez thought as his military Humvee rolled over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Ramadi, Iraq, in June 2005. He’d served proudly as a U.S. Marine since 1998. As his body burned, time slowed down. Pictures of his three children and wife passed through his mind—to the accompaniment of screeching metal and loud, percussive explosions. Despite feelings of despair and anxiety, he nonetheless determined, There is no way that I’m about to die in this fashion.
“The explosion was pretty gnarly,” he stated years later. “It launched the vehicle 40 feet in the air, and upon it landing, it killed my gunner; I would later on find out that the actual initial explosion killed also my commanding officer.” He couldn’t exit the Humvee’s door, which was pinned shut.
“I do everything I can to get out. I find myself going through the driver’s door; as I come out, there’s a wall of lead just coming towards me. I’m getting shot at, and I’m not hit one time! Yes, I’m engulfed in fire. I’m trying to do everything in my physical power to extinguish the flames. I drop. I roll. I have all my gear. I have grenades. I have live ammunition. I cannot extinguish the flame.”
What Octavio did not understand then was that during the explosion, the vehicle’s occupants had been doused with diesel fuel. He continued, “I’m trying to extinguish the flames. I’m picking up dirt trying to throw it on me, and I can’t.”
Octavio’s platoon (1st Battalion 5th Marines Charlie Company, 4th platoon 3rd squad) at Al-Asad, Iraq. Octavio is standing far left.
Through the confusion, flames, and gunfire, Octavio saw Marines running toward him. They put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Despite his injuries, Octavio was not ready to give up. “I remember, enraged at that time, the adrenaline pumping through my brain and through my body. I pick up my rifle, … trying to engage the enemy and did not even have the strength to squeeze the trigger!”
He looked at his hands—they were destroyed. It felt like a nightmare. He, somehow, managed to run to the triage area, where the medics laid him down and cut off his uniform. “At that moment, when my adrenaline starts wearing down, the excruciating pain of these burns starts to take place, and I’m still in that fog of war not realizing what’s going on. There’s a firefight. You can hear it. The corpsman is attending to my wounds, sticking me with morphine.”
The triage team loaded him into a medivac vehicle that took him back to camp. Once stable enough, he was flown to Germany.
He had no idea then that 14 years later he would become the director of FrontSight Military Outreach (FSMO), a ministry focused on supporting veterans. Octavio emphasized that he can see, now, how the Lord was using all the intricate pieces of his life to prepare him for this ministry. Being at the doorstep of death, flatlining and resuscitating three times ultimately spoke a clear message to share the Lord Jesus.
FSMO was established in 2008 as a small ministry out of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs, CA. In 2014, it moved into its current location as an independent entity and is operated entirely by veterans who share and understand the needs and struggles faced by veterans.
“ ‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
“Tell Him I Love Him”
Octavio’s wife of six years, Vanette, answered her phone on June 16, 2005, expecting to learn about a VA home loan refinancing application—Octavio had told her the day before to expect a call. It took a minute to realize that the man at the other end was not a loan officer but a sergeant informing her that her husband had been in an explosion.
Vanette struggled to make sense of the sergeant’s news: “I just talked to him yesterday,” she responded. The reply: “He’s injured. He’s been burned over 40% of his body, he has a broken arm, and he’s coming home.”
She tried to process the unexpected information. “I remember saying, ‘But he’s alive, right?’” The meaning of a 40% burn was not registering. “I took it like, OK, he got a burn and a broken arm, and he’s coming home. Great. I’m happy my husband’s coming home. He’s gonna be out of danger.” But after a few days of silence, with no word on Octavio’s condition, Vanette grew more concerned. Finally, someone told her Octavio was in a hospital in Germany. She gave Vanette the contact information, and Vanette immediately called, expecting to talk to Octavio. That was when she began to understand the extent of his condition.
Octavio and his family attend his son’s graduation from USMC boot camp. From left to right are Ryan, Octavio, Avery, Octavio, Jr., Vanette, and Jaslyn.
The nurse informed her that she could not talk with him because he was sedated, in a medically induced coma, and fighting for his life. Shocked, Vanette asked, “What do you mean, he’s fighting for his life? I was told he had 40% burns and a broken arm!” The nurse handed Vanette off to Octavio’s surgeon, who explained that Octavio was in very bad shape. With growing apprehension, Vanette braced herself, “OK. Let me know what the details are.” The surgeon reported, “He’s burned [on] 70% of his body.”
“That’s a big difference,” Vanette recalled saying. “I was told 40% and I’m thinking in my head, Seventy percent? That’s almost one hundred! How bad are the burns?”
The surgeon was frank. “They’re third-degree burns. His arms and legs are still intact.”
Vanette recounted, “Intact. I remember that word. I’m like, What do you mean they’re still intact, and why wouldn’t they be?” The surgeon also told her that Octavio had to be resuscitated quite a few times, had lost a lot of blood, required a transfusion, and his vitals were not stable.
The reality finally struck home. “I didn’t know the severity of it. So now I’m like, OK, my husband IS fighting for his life. I said, ‘Well, if my husband’s fighting for his life and we don’t know if he’s gonna make it, I need to be there. So how can I get there?’” The surgeon explained that they would transfer Octavio to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, the minute he was stable. She would need to stay put until he got there so she didn’t miss him in transit.
Vanette choked up at the memory. “How do I stay put? What if he dies and I’m not even there to say goodbye? By this time, I’m in shock … denial.” All she could do was ask the nurse to tell him that she loved him and to keep fighting. “Can you just say my kids’ names? Say it in his ear, [and] tell him that I love him.”
Octavio and his family enjoy a getaway trip to San Diego, CA.
A Long Recovery
When Octavio was being transferred, Vanette packed for San Antonio, leaving her children with her grandmother. It was difficult, but she needed to be with her husband.
She was not prepared for what she saw. His head was extremely swollen. Multiple machines were attached to his body, including a ventilator. Mesh covered his chest. Still in denial and “feeling like this can’t be happening, this can’t be him,” Vanette pulled down the mesh to see if her name was tattooed on his chest. “I knew it was him, but I had to see that. I had to make sure.”
All of Octavio’s fingers were black and shriveled, some eventually requiring amputation. The tip of his nose appeared ready to fall off. The doctor told her Octavio was in bad shape, but he was stable. He was alive and they were together. It was a start.
The next two years were difficult—one month in ICU, three months in the burn ward, and then outpatient treatment. There were family separations, reintroductions, surgeries, rehabilitation, learning to walk again, and helping the children adjust to the changes in Octavio’s appearance and their lives. Pain, heartache, and frustration. And finally, home. “I retired from the Marine Corps in 2007, and we made our way back home to California,” Octavio explained.
Octavio and Vanette pause for a photo during his recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.
A New Turn
Octavio tried to accept the turn his life had taken. “My exit was from the Marine Corps, [and] although I had my family around me, it was a lonely exit. Because it wasn’t how I envisioned my exit. I felt like there was much more for me to do. What you’re looking forward to in your career as a military man, as you become that staff noncommissioned officer and you start getting ready to lead troops; you know you look forward to that day, and … it didn’t happen that way.”
At a Heroes Child banquet honoring veterans served by FrontSight Military Outreach (FSMO), which he now leads as director, Octavio engages joyfully with Victor Galindo, an Army veteran. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Octavio wasn’t doing well. “I reverted to my old nature. I went back to drinking alcohol and leaning on drugs to get by.” But God had plans for Octavio. “In 2013, I was driving drunk, and [I felt the Lord saying], I didn’t spare your life for this. This is in my spirit, and I knew what He was talking about; … at that moment, my drunkenness became soberness. My response to His call was, Forgive me, Lord, I’m all in.” Octavio rededicated his life and started going to church. “The Lord started doing a work in my life and opening up doors,” he confirmed.
We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3b-5
Octavio shares his testimony and the work of FSMO at the Heroes Child banquet. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
FrontSight
A friend invited Octavio to visit FrontSight. Eventually, in 2016, he gave in and discovered exactly what he had been longing for. He was reunited with his military brotherhood; but more than that, they were believers.
In 2019, the director’s position opened. A member of the FrontSight board asked Octavio if he would be willing to take the position. “My initial reaction was, … Let me pray about it. I [knew] the effect [it] had on my life. I had seen the change that it made in my life and the opportunities that it gave me, but I also saw the effect that it had in other veterans’ [lives].”
They told him to go ahead and pray. “[But]I get a phone call the next day and he was just like, ‘So what did the Lord say? I started laughing, and I’m like, ‘Man, there’s no … grace period here, right’. But Octavio knew he had to take the Lord up on this opportunity.
At an FSMO annual outing, Night in the Wilderness, veterans experience warm fellowship, the study of God’s Word, and a shooting competition.
Octavio sharpens his shooting skills.
Ministering to Veterans
Octavio cited a statistic that a civilian might speak about suicide 200 times before actually committing the deed—but a veteran will mention it only about five times before he actually does it. That compels him to share the living hope that we have in the Lord, as well as the camaraderie at FrontSight that veterans once experienced in the military. “It’s here. It’s alive. It’s thriving, but with the Spirit of God, right?”
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16
Octavio enjoys his dessert at a banquet. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Vanette believes that this is where God meant for him to be. Octavio agrees. “I can look back and understand that everything that I’ve gone through in my life has just been a training scenario for the opportunity to get to minister to people. I didn’t know what I was in for. I thought maybe I would get shot. Never in my mind did I think that I would suffer 70% third-degree burns through my entire body. Never did I imagine that I would lose the use of my left hand or have my right hand amputated.”
Some might wonder how he can pray after everything that has happened to him. Octavio revealed, “How could I not when I’m still here? These injuries have caused me really to just get so much closer to the Lord. The beauty of it is that now I get to share my story. My life isn’t perfect. It’s still a story that is being written.”
Octavio asserted that the war here, in the United States within our military community, is still ongoing. “We wanna make sure that we get to our veterans who are hurting or struggling—and not just them, but their family members who might possibly be thinking about the struggle that they have with a suicidal tendencies.”
Veterans (left to right) Carlos Valles, USMC; Fernando Borboa, U.S. Army; Eric Lewis, U.S. Army; and Cesar Borboa, U.S. Army, all served in the theater of combat operations during their active-duty terms. Octavio now serves these former combat veterans through the FrontSight ministry. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Cheering & Encouraging Veterans
Octavio described life as a military obstacle course. He observed, “There’s a beginning [and an end] to an obstacle course. In between, there [are] highs and lows. You have to low crawl … to jump over things … go through difficulties.” He compared that to difficult times, seasons, or areas in our lives. “It’s just a day. There’s a lifetime [ahead]. Your struggle might just be today.” He believes that if we can get past today, then tomorrow is a new beginning, and there is time to rejoice in that new beginning.
“That struggle you’re going through right now—it will pass. And understand that as you have completed the obstacle course, have gone up [and down] that rope, … now you know that it’s behind you. Those days might come and go, but remember you always have somebody who’s cheering for you; that’s what we do here at FrontSight. We … come alongside and struggle with you together, and we rejoice with you. And we do that through spiritual guidance, … through just the camaraderie, staying together, and really calling on one another.”
Octavio sees FrontSight as a family that says, “Hey, today might be bad, but wait for tomorrow because we can rejoice tomorrow and we will be victorious.”
Octavio works with Iraq Army veteran Christian Bustamante. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Octavio and his son, Octavio, Jr., participate in the “Salute to America” presentation at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs (CCGS), CA.
Retired U.S. Air Force (USAF) Lt Col Dave Ford (left) encourages active-duty USMC Master Sergeant James Ramos. Dave started FrontSight in 2008 under the direction of Raul Ries, senior pastor of CCGS, as an outreach to veterans suffering from traumatic combat experiences. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Junior Sandoval (center), the Heroes Child coordinator for FrontSight Military Outreach, greets Dale Goddard (left), assistant pastor of CCGS, and his wife, Barbara Goddard. A USAF veteran, Dale shared the Gospel at the event, honoring veterans and their families. Junior helped coordinate the event alongside Octavio. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
USMC veteran Louie Lopez enthusiastically accepts a backpack from Doreth Lewis. Every veteran who attended the Heroes Child banquet received a backpack filled with gifts and literature along with a gift card. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Doreth, wife of U.S. Army veteran Eric Lewis, displays a T-shirt with the FSMO ministry name and logo. The Lewises are active in FSMO, faithfully serving each year at a Heroes Child event. Photo by Tom Price, Calvary Chapel Magazine
Learn more about FrontSight at frontsightmo.org
You can watch a YouTube documentary about Octavio’s life and ministry below.
Thank you for reading! If this story inspired you, we invite you to partner with us in continuing the ministry God started over 26 years ago. We appreciate your prayerful consideration in joining us to reach more souls for Jesus.
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