On April 10, 2012, United States Army Staff Sgt. Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne put down his backpack while out on patrol during his third tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Shortly after the backpack hit the ground, the IED (improvised explosive device) went off, critically injuring Mills.

Mills lost portions of his legs and both arms, becoming one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries.

Today, Mills travels the country sharing his story and his motto: “Never give up. Never quit.”

“I think I’m really lucky to be fortunate to be able to get up every day and do things,” Mills said.

Mills shared his story at Catalent Pharma Solutions’ veterans event Thursday at the Winchester Opera House.

John Chiminski, chief executive officer of Catalent, said the event was to honor veterans as well as kick off a new employee resource group called Serve.

Serve is for those with prior military experience, active members of the National Guard and Reserve, and their families and supporters.

Chiminski said the vision of Serve is to be a catalyst for veterans’ excellence, talent and leadership. The mission is to provide a meaningful forum and resource for the empowerment of the Serve community, he said.

“We at Catalent want to do even more for the veterans that are working for us,” Chiminski told the crowd Thursday.