FDNY Boxing Team Raises Money for Military Hero

Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano joins members of the FDNY Boxing team and Building Homes for Heroes to present a check to Marine First Lieutenant James Byler, to help rebuild his home.

All FDNY members know the importance of giving back, and on Apr. 13 the FDNY Boxing team did just that, donating $6,000 to U.S. Marine First Lieutenant James Byler who was injured while serving in Afghanistan.
 
The funds were raised from the "Battle of the Badges" competition the FDNY team fought the NYPD in November 2011 and were presented during a ceremony at FDNY Headquarters.
 
It will go toward renovating the Marine hero's home on Long Island to suit his new physical needs, which is being done by Building Homes for Heroes and the Town of Huntington.
 
First Lieutenant James Byler, an infantry platoon leader with the Third Battalion, 5th Marines, Camp Pendleton, Calif., was injured on Oct. 17, 2010, when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). At the time he was leading his platoon on a dismounted patrol of a narrow alley in Northern Helmand Province, one of the deadliest provinces in Afghanistan.
 
The Marine remained conscious until he was anesthetized in the Medevac chopper. The superior training his men received enabled them to stabilize him and save his life.
 
Both of First Lieutenant Byler's legs were amputated above the knee, and he lost both pinky fingers. After being cared for in U.S. military hospitals in Afghanistan and parts of Europe, the hero was transferred to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
 
He has been awarded a Purple Heart for his actions.