Tomas Young

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Tomas Young was an American Army veteran who became a prominent critic of the Iraq War. He was born on November 30, 1979, in Kansas City, Missouri. After the September 11 attacks, he joined the U.S. Army hoping to help his country and to gain education benefits.

He served from 2001 to 2004 as a Specialist in the 1st Cavalry Division. On April 4, 2004, while riding in an unarmored truck in Sadr City, Iraq, he was shot in the spine, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. He returned home to Kansas City and soon joined Iraq Veterans Against the War, becoming one of the first veterans to publicly oppose the war.

Tomas faced many medical problems after his injury, including blood clots and a brain injury that left him a partial quadriplegic. A documentary called Body of War followed his life as he adapted to his new condition and questioned his decision to enlist.

In 2013, while in hospice care, Tomas briefly considered stopping treatment but later chose to continue so he could spend time with his wife. He died on November 10, 2014, in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 34.

He was married twice — to Brie Young (2005–2006) and later to Claudia Cuellar (2012). Before his death, he wrote a powerful letter to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney accusing them of war crimes and criticizing how veterans were cared for by the VA. His story was widely told by journalists and writers, and a biography titled Tomas Young's War was published in 2016.