HOW MCGUIRE WAS INJURED He and some friends went boating at Lake Amistad, Texas, Sept. 6, 2009, while stationed at Laughlin AFB, Texas. On the way back to the marina, an unsecured four-man tube blew out of the boat, which was going nearly 40 mph. McGuire's right leg got tangled in a 50-foot tow rope, slamming him into the side of the boat and violently yanking him into the water. When he impacted the boat, he fractured his pelvis and dislocated his hip. But the rope did permanent damage, crushing bones and damaging arteries and veins in his right ankle and foot. With loss of blood flow and infection, he had to get a below-the-knee amputation Oct. 10, 2009.