MULTI-NATIONAL BASE TARIN KOT Afghanistan – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Thomas Lorenson considers himself lucky to be alive. The Seattle native from Apache Company, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment survived a close-quarters grenade blast Jan. 13 in northern Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan.

Apache Company soldiers were conducting a routine patrol through the Nyazi Valley that morning, looking for an improvised explosive device facilitator who was suspected to have moved back into the area.

During the search of a compound, Lorenson encountered an Afghan man who pulled a grenade from beneath a pile of blankets on the floor, armed it and rolled it in his direction.

“Ultimately I was just kind of paralyzed,” he recalled. “I pulled the trigger just out of training I guess, and lifted my arm up just to shield my face right before it went off.”

The grenade detonated, sending shrapnel tearing through the left side of Lorenson’s face and body. The man who threw it died as a result of his wounds in the attack.

“I didn’t even know I was really hurt until I started seeing my kit [body armor] was covered with blood,” he said.

“It’s never easy to see one of your men injured, but after seeing Lt. Lorenson, I knew he was in good hands with the platoon’s combat medic,” said Capt. Matthew Piosa, Apache company commander.

Within moments of the attack, Lorenson’s soldiers sprung into action, providing first aid and transmitting a request to evacuate him to the nearby Role 2 hospital at Multi-National Base Tarin Kot.

“I couldn’t have asked for better treatment and care from my guys,” Lorenson said. “Once I got to the Role 2 it just seemed like everything was just clicking. I let my mom and my wife and my folks know that I’m good and I’m ready to get back up and keep working.”

Despite stitches in his left arm, back and face, he is eager to return to work with his soldiers and encouraged doctors to release him back to duty within days of the incident.

“I told them that if I can get up and walk around and move my arms and wiggle my fingers and toes, then I should be where I can help out with the platoon and I’ll come down to get my stitches taken out later on,” he said with a laugh.

Piosa couldn’t be prouder of the way his soldiers responded to the attack. He believes their training is likely the reason Lorenson is alive today.

“Being able to rapidly neutralize threats in a close-quarters environment is something that is engrained into every infantryman,” he said. “In this case, it not only saved Lieutenant Lorenson’s life, it saved the lives of the other soldiers within the compound.”

While Lorenson does feel lucky to be alive, he knows it wasn’t just luck that saved him.

“It just made me feel really good, knowing that they were so well trained that they just snapped into action.”