From the time he could remember, Elmer Ugarte wanted to be a Marine. He says he didn’t get his first tattoo until it actually meant something to him. 

“It meant something to me when I got shot.” 

He has four military tattoos: 

• An eagle, globe with an anchor
• A bullet casing with the carabiner that is said to have saved his life, along with the date he was shot and “you only live twice” in Arabic
• And another that says, “in death there is life.” 
• A grim reaper

He plans to get more ink to honor his fallen brothers. 

“I’m not who I was anymore. I’m a completely different person. I’ll never be who I was before I got shot.” 

Elmer still struggles with PTSD and says he wants other service members to know they are not alone.

“Sometimes it’s hard to admit it. There’s a lot of people willing to help you; you just have to give them a chance.”