Local Marine recalls 9/11 injury; explains how she now trains veterans at home

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — “I look up and the Pentagon’s on fire,” said Sarah Rudder, while recalling the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. She had joined the U.S. Marine Corps just one year earlier.

Rudder, an Oceanside native, never thought her promotion ceremony, which was scheduled that same fateful day, would change her life forever.

“When I was removing a non-survivor, I stepped into a hole and concrete came over my ankle. I didn’t know, but at that point, it had shattered,” Rudder explained.

Despite her severe injury, Rudder continued gathering bodies for the next 24 hours — later paying the price for her selfless act.

“Went through 14 years of leg reconstructive surgeries,” she said. “Pins in, pins out, rods.”

In 2014, Rudder had an amputation. The Marine explained, she felt like she lost more than her left leg.

“I honestly would not tell my story for 10 years. It took 10 years to talk about it. The hardest thing to deal with was not being able to go and finish the mission with my brothers and sisters,” Rudder continued.

Instead, she let her tattoos do the talking. She got the Pentagon inked on her skin in remembrance of 9/11 and her role in the tragedy.

But Rudder’s new ink, covered up a lot of trauma. She then decided to overcome her depression with fitness.

“I went from being over 200 pounds to being the fittest female amputee on earth,” said Rudder.

She fell in love with CrossFit and began participating in the Invictus Games, a competition for injured/wounded soldiers and veterans.

This lead to a special moment with Prince Harry that called for another tattoo.

“He actually gave me my first gold medal, and so that’s inspiring me,” said Rudder. “…And he called me his ‘Wonder Woman.’”

After that encounter, “Wonder Wonder” started to fly. Rudder got involved with the non-profit organization Semper Fi and America’s Fund, sharing her 9/11 story with other veterans.

“I was able to compare my feelings and my reactions and my dreams and everything I do,” she explained. “Able to feel normal, because their reactions and responses are the same.”

Rudder spent 6 years creating an at-home gym. She has trained more than 200 veterans, showing them first-hand how to turn their pain into power.

“They’re starting where I started: overweight, feeling guilty. I fell so many times and that doesn’t matter. What matters is, where I am now and how I’m continuing to rise,” said Rudder.

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