NEW YORK -- When Alex Presman enlisted in the Marines in 1996, he wasn't necessarily planning on making a career out of the Corps. "I joined for the experience," said Presman. His eight-year experience changed his life. "I appreciate life more," said Presman. "I think differently about veterans and disabled veterans," he said. "Because now I'm one of them."Presman spent eight years as a reservist with 6th Communication Battalion, Brooklyn, N.Y. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Since then, he has lost a foot, been medically retired from the Corps, started an organization to support service members, and started on his college degree. "He hasn't skipped a beat," said Al Giordano, deputy director of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). "Sergeant Presman is a very squared away Marine," said Giordano, who is a former Marine also. "He's extremely professional, and he's always available to help other wounded service members whenever possible."According to their website, WWP is "dedicated to serving the needs of a new generation of veterans and ensuring that the United States government and the American public live by our motto, 'Putting Veterans First in America'." The project has delivered 3,000 "Wounded Warrior Packs" to service members at military hospitals around the world. Members of the organization first met Presman while he was undergoing treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.While he was deployed to Iraq, Presman took part in a convoy to transport medical supplies. The convoy stopped on the way to Baghdad, and Presman stepped on an improvised explosive device hidden on the side of the road. According to Pressman, four other Marines walked over the same path before he did. He was the only one hurt. "Half of my foot was blown off," said 27-year-old Presman. "So, they had to amputate my foot," he said matter-of-factly. Doctors at Bethesda amputated his left foot at the ankle, which Presman said is called a Syme's amputation."It's a pain in the [butt], cause you gotta wear a prosthetic," said Pressman. "If I'm at home just watching TV or something...I have to hop around the house (if I don't put on the prosthetic)." But, Presman said he could put pressure on his left leg without the use of the prosthetic. "I just have an exaggerated limp."After he nonchalantly explained living with a prosthetic foot, Presman shrugged, and paused for a moment."I've never been a good dancer," he said randomly. "So that's not really cut out," he chuckled. When it comes to sports, Presman said, "it's mostly ping pong.""I'm pretty good," he added. His blue eyes crinkled with his smile. "We have weekly ping pong tournaments at my house," said Presman. "Mostly, it's me and my friends."According to Giordano, Presman's confidence two years after his injury is nothing new."He's always been a confident individual," said Giordano. "As any Marine sergeant typically would be," he added. "He epitomizes to me what America is all about," said the Warwick, N.Y., native. "Here's a guy who comes to America from Russia as a kid, joins the Marine Corps Reserves, volunteers to go to Iraq, loses a foot, comes back and is still motivated.""I have a lot of respect for him," said Giordano. "You've got people who were born in this country who've never done anything for it." Presman, who is originally from Minsk, Belarus, advises injured Marines to look to their counterparts for motivation."You're not alone," said Presman. "Every Marine is still part of the Marine Corps family," he said. "If you're hurt, life doesn't stop there...life goes on, and you have to go on, too."Last year, Presman started an organization in Brooklyn to let other deployed service members and their families know they are not alone. Russian American Servicemembers of U.S. Armed Forces (RAS) works with another Russian organization, the Be Proud Foundation, to help families of deployed service members and to promote good news about service members from the community.Raisa Chernina, the founder of Be Proud, met Presman after she read an article in the newspaper about him more than a year ago. Both from Russia, they decided to focus on the Russian community that lived in Brooklyn. Presman's Brooklyn neighborhood, Sheepshead Bay, predominately consists of Russian-speaking immigrants. Chernina said it's important people understand what the deployed service members are doing."When Alex (Presman) was wounded, there was [another Marine] who threw him over his shoulder and took him out of there," said Chernina. "He didn't ask [Presman's] nationality or when he came to the states," she said. "He did what people should do -he gave him a shoulder when he needed it," she said. "We all could learn a lesson from that."If a stranger watched Presman walk across the street, he wouldn't notice anything unusual about him or the way he walks. On the outside, he's a friendly guy with a ready smile, wearing a sweater and a pair of jeans. On the inside, he's still a Marine."He has an awesome Marine Corps t-shirt [pattern] silk-screened onto his prosthetic leg," said Giordano. "He's one of those silent heroes," said Giordano. "He doesn't think he did anything extraordinary. He's just living his life and getting things done."