Navy SEAL Who Lost Eye in Afghanistan Now Battling for U.S. House Seat

Retired Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw was serving his third combat tour in June 2012 when he encountered an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan's deadly Helmand province that took out his right eye and severely damaged his left.

Doctors said he'd never see again, but Crenshaw regained sight in his left eye after undergoing several surgeries and receiving specialized contact lenses. Four months later, fitted with a glass eye and his signature eye patch, Crenshaw was back on the shooting range in Mississippi, training to rejoin his teammates.

Crenshaw, who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and held leadership posts in Bahrain and South Korea before medically retiring in 2016, is now battling for a seat in the U.S. House.

"What makes me get up in the morning is knowing I'm doing something for the country and I was not ready to quit that," Crenshaw said. "I think this is why I'm driven to Congress now, because it's another path I can take to make a positive impact on people's lives and serve in a way that is meaningful and push for values that I believe in."

Crenshaw is one of nine candidates competing in Texas's March 9 Republican primary to succeed retiring Rep. Ted Poe, who represents the state's 2nd congressional district.

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