Apr 15, 2016 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Brandon Rumbaugh has seen a fair share of tough times.

The 27-year-old Uniontown man, who served in the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, stepped on an improvised explosive device in 2010 and lost both legs, one from the hip down and one from the knee.

“I’ve seen the worst in life. I’ve been to war,” he told Waynesburg Central High School students Friday during a motivational speech designed to prevent bullying by pushing them to never give up in tough times.

Rumbaugh attended Waynesburg in 2006 and 2007 and played sports before graduating from Uniontown High School in 2008. He tried college, but partied too much and didn’t focus on his studies, he said.

“That is one sure way to ruin your life,” he said. “I want to see all of you succeed.”

He joined the Marines “as a last resort,” went into the infantry and served in Iraq for eight months, then Afghanistan in 2010. That was a life-changing year.

Rumbaugh said his platoon sergeant, Glen Silva, stepped on an IED and lost several limbs.

“That moment changed my life forever,” he said. “Here’s a guy who’s been in the Marines for 20 years, and has a 9-year-old daughter and knows he’s probably going to die. But all he was concerned about were the other guys there and his daughter back home.”

Silva survived, and Rumbaugh calls him his “greatest motivation.”

“It showed me that there’s no need to be selfish, and in fact, we need to be selfless,” Rumbaugh said.

Two months later, in November 2010, Rumbaugh’s 19-year-old friend stepped on an IED. Rumbaugh attempted to rescue him, but stepped on a second explosive.

Both men survived, but Rumbaugh lost his legs. He also broke his back and arm and suffered a collapsed lung.

He was taken to a hospital in Germany, where he said he became depressed, thinking about all the things in life he’d miss out on.

“One day I woke up and stopped feeling sorry for myself,” he said.

“Everybody has bad days and everybody goes through things, but what makes us different is how we react and deal with those things. My life could’ve been a lot worse.”

Rumbaugh encouraged the students to find something “to hold onto” to get them through tough times and to motivate them to be better people. He’s found weight-lifting as a hobby and said he can bench press 400 pounds.

He also encouraged students to help each other and defend each other against bullying.

“If you see it happening and don’t do anything about it, you’re just as guilty as the one doing it,” he said. “Instead of trying to put people down you guys should help each other.”

Rumbaugh told the students about his fundraiser last year to raise awareness and money for homeless veterans.

He lived as a homeless person in Uniontown through the month of November to raise awareness about the issue. He also raised $30,000 for a facility for homeless veterans in Pittsburgh.

“I’m in a good position to help people, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters,” he said.