‘I don’t…know how we got out,’ Colorado soldier’s journey of survival and reflection

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. (KRDO)-- A Teller County soldier wounded in an overseas attack is back home reflecting on a moment that changed his life, and the people who helped him survive.

For Major Stephen Ramsbottom, a career in the military wasn’t always the plan. He told KRDO13 today that after 9/11 happened, everything changed.

“I just wanted to serve the country,” Ramsbottom said. “I was going to do three or four years… get a better job.”

But one decision changed everything.

“My platoon leader talked me into becoming an officer,” he said. “And now for 21 years, I’ve just been moving around, doing different jobs… doing whatever I can to help.”

That service took him across the world—from Iraq to Afghanistan, where he worked on missions ranging from counterinsurgency to infrastructure.

“Trying to give the Iraqi people a better life,” he said. “Building bridges in Afghanistan… just trying to keep their society going.”

He also responded to disasters back home, helping communities rebuild after hurricanes.

“That was really good too, just to help people try to rebuild their lives,” he said.

But on March 1, during an attack in Kuwait during Operation Epic Fury, everything changed.

“The drone hit the center of our command building,” Ramsbottom said. “I was about 20 meters away… and it knocked me down.”

The strike left dozens of service members wounded and six dead.

In the moments that followed, Ramsbottom says instinct took over.

“I started hearing, ‘Hey, we need help,’” he said. “I found one of my friends… he was dying… and we just started dragging people out one by one.”

The scene was chaotic, with fires, darkness, and a partially collapsed building.

“I looked at the pictures later, and I don’t even know how we got out,” he said. “I’m 6’3”… and I was just running through this building, dragging people, carrying people.”

Ramsbottom recalls the swift actions the Kuwaiti took to save lives. "I don't think an American doctor worked on anyone until after the Kuwaitis did. Everyone who got to the hospital lived," said Ramsbottom.

What he witnessed that day is something he says he’ll never forget.

“It was by far probably the saddest day of my life,” Ramsbottom said.

But in that same moment, one thought kept him going.

“The first thing I thought about when I got knocked down… I was like, I need to see my kids again,” he said.

That moment made coming home even more meaningful.

Ramsbottom recently returned to Colorado, where he says the first sight that hit him was a familiar one.

“Landing in the airplane and looking up and seeing Pikes Peak… that was beautiful,” he said. “It’s really good to be back home and just to be able to settle back into a peaceful, quiet life.”

Despite everything he’s been through, Ramsbottom says he wasn’t looking for attention, just a return to normal life.

Still, his community has other plans.

Teller County leaders will officially welcome Ramsbottom home during a ceremony on Thursday, April 9th, in Cripple Creek.

For Ramsbottom, it’s a moment of recognition but also reflection.

“I was really glad to be alive,” he said. “I got to come home and see my family… that was great.”

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