Supporters welcomed home a Georgia Marine injured in Afghanistan.
Lance Cpl. Alex Juedes showed off his new prosthetic arm on Sunday. It's designed to replace two fingers and a thumb he lost while assisting another platoon in Afghanistan in January.
Juedes told WSB's Liz Artz he saw his arm was bleeding and then noticed it was gone from the elbow down.
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The Marines had been at their post no more than 30 minutes when they were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The blast ruptured his ear drum but Juedes told Artz he still hears constant ringing. He remained alert during the entire attack.
"I thought I was dead. I kept saying it in my head but I kept thinking, so I must not be dead," Juedes said.
Hundreds of friends, family and neighbors welcomed Juedes home on Sunday, including his mother who delivered a hug she had waited weeks for.
It was devastating to me. Nobody wants to hear their child is hurt and in pain," Karen Dunlap, Juedes mother, said.
About 500 people lined the street as Patriot Guard Riders escorted the young Marine on a motorcycle.
Juedes has been awarded a Purple Heart.
"It's not something people want, but it's prideful to get it," he said.
His family is trying to raise $10,000 for his recovery. You can learn more about the fund on the GiveForward website.
Juedes will remain in Marietta for 30 days and then head back to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland for more surgery.
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