Wounded Lexington veteran special guest at State of the Union speech

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Lexington native and Iraqi war veteran will be among the special guests for President Trump’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night.

Corporal (Ret.) Matthew Bradford joined the United States Marine Corps straight out of high school and was deployed to Iraq in 2006.

In 2007, he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) and lost his eyesight and both of his legs.

After undergoing multiple surgeries and therapy, Bradford reenlisted in the Marine Corps – the first blind, double amputee to do so.

He works in Congressman Andy Barr’s Lexington office as the National Security Fellow where he focuses on outreach to veterans and leads the Sixth District Veterans Coalition.

Bradford and the other special guests will be seated in the box of First Lady Melania Trump.

The State of the Union Address airs live Tuesday starting at 9 p.m. on ABC 36.