Kevin Arata, a spokesman for the Army's Human Resources Command at the Pentagon.Īlso, just as advances in battlefield medicine have boosted survival rates among the wounded, better prosthetics and treatment regimens have improved amputees' ability to regain mobility. Someone who loses a limb is still a very valuable asset,' said Lt. 'The mindset of our Army has changed, to the extent that we realize the importance of all our soldiers and what they can contribute to our Army. But since the start of the Iraq war, the military has begun holding on to amputees, treating them in rehab programs like the one here at Fort Sam Houston and promising to help them return to active duty if that is what they want.