Ft Hood Soldier Gets Free Reconstructive Surgery After Explosion - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

A Fort Hood soldier gets a life-changing gift, all thanks to a special program that helps soldiers who have been disfigured in war. 

The Face To Face Program gave Army Sergeant First Class Antonio Tysor a whole new lease on life, after a he was wounded while clearing routes as a combat engineer overseas.

"We lifted the vehicle up, and when we lifted the vehicle up, the IED went off," Antonio recalls.

It was his job to recover that vehicle after it was hit by a bomb in Afghanistan on June 13, 2010.

"That's when it hit me," he said.

A second bomb hidden underneath the vehicle went off just five meters in front of him.

"It did a lot of damage to the right side of my body," Antonio said.

His face was severely burned, and just being in public became a painful and emotional reminder of what he'd been through.

"It's one thing to feel like people are staring at you, but it's another thing to know that people are staring at you," said Antonio.

The military performed eight surgeries on Antonio.

"I feel blessed. The doctors in the military, they did the best they could with me."

Then in February, he saw the show, "Facing Trauma," where a doctor in New York helped a woman with scars similar to his.

He immediately emailed Dr. Andrew Jacono with the Face to Face program, which helps wounded warriors, like him.

Dr. Jacono said, "We dedicate ourselves to helping repair the disfigurement caused by what soldiers go through, unfortunately, being on the front lines."

He added, "When Antonio contacted me, I was just amazed by his spirit. He's a wonderful guy, and he'd been through so much already, so much trauma, so much surgery. I just wanted to be able to help him."

So on August 18th, Antonio got a new face.

"To find out that he would do it basically pro bono, I was like wow, I was like this can't be happening," said Antonio.

Now when Antonio looks in the mirror, he says he has a whole new perspective.

"I don't feel like the enemy got the best of me any more."

Because what's left of this hero's scars are no longer reminders of what he endured, but of what he overcame.

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Reporter/Photographer: Sophia Stamas sstamas@kcentv.com