FOUR OAKS, N.C. (WTVD) -- A U.S. Army veteran who lost both arms while deployed in Iraq was honored during a ceremony on Tuesday with a new home in Johnston County.

Retired Sgt. Mary Dague served in the military in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. While in Iraq, Dague, an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Tech, was severely hurt by an improvised explosive device (IED) when it detonated.

She shielded her team - and almost certainly saved lives -- by hugging the bomb. In doing so, she lost both arms, suffered ruptured eardrums, and had facial injuries from shrapnel.

Dague told ABC11 that she expected to become "pink mist" when the explosion happened, but despite her catastrophic injuries, she said she didn't even lose any of her teeth.

It's really awesome to feel independent aga

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