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Ryan “Birdman” Parrott was injured by an IED in Iraq in 2005. Now, the former Navy SEAL is helping burn victims through his foundation Sons of the Flag.
“Birdman.” While Ryan Parrott’s nickname is certainly interesting, the story behind it is quite traumatic. In 2005, the Navy SEAL’s Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Parrott was in the gunner’s turret, and the explosion sent him flying up into the air.
While he suffered first- and second-degree burns, an encounter with a gravely burned Army Ranger after his service would lead him to become a burn-care advocate for veterans, first responders, civilians, and their families.
Beginnings
Parrott, 36, grew up in Detroit and didn’t do well academically in school. In his junior year of high school, he failed most subjects. He had been taking a class in motivational psychology, and the teacher was a Marine Corps and Vietnam War veteran. One day he told the class that there was only one thing better than the Marine Corps, and that was the U.S. Navy SEALS.
