PARKER, Colorado (CNN) -- Matt Keil didn't wait for a call to serve his country.



Six weeks after Tracy and Matt Keil married in 2007, he was hit by a sniper fire while serving in Iraq.



He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in 2000, and when the Iraq war started, Keil volunteered to go. Because he was single, he wanted to take the place of a parent, wife or husband who would otherwise be sent.



"I wanted to go over and serve my country," he recalled.



After a year-long tour of duty in Iraq, Keil returned home to Colorado, where he met a young woman named Tracy who lived in the same apartment complex. He says he knew they were meant to be.



"I woke up one morning, and my roommate was gone. I called him up and asked him what he was doing. He said he was down by the pool hanging out," Keil said. "I asked him if there were any hot girls down there, and he said, 'Yeah, there are.' "



And the rest is history.



Matt and Tracy began dating and fell in love, but he was soon told that his unit was being sent back to Iraq. Even though he knew redeployment was part of his job, this time things were different. He and Tracy were engaged to be married.  Watch their story of love interrupted »



At the time, the enemy in Iraq was growing stronger, and Keil's unit was headed to Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province and a violent insurgent stronghold. Keil had been in Ramadi in 2004 and knew the mission would be dangerous.



"They were definitely built up a lot more on our second tour," he said. "Fallujah had just ended, and a lot of fighters from Fallujah had fled to nearby cities, and that's what we were up against."



Though their wedding plans were put on hold, Matt and Tracy decided to marry as soon as he could get a leave of absence.



"He got one of the earliest leaves you could take and came home in January," Tracy Keil remembered. "The main reason we got married was, even though we planned on having a bigger wedding later, what if something happened?"



On February 24, 2007, six weeks after their wedding, something did happen.



Keil, an infantry squad leader, was part of a major offensive to reclaim a portion of the city. His squad was ambushed, leaving 11 men severely wounded.



After helping evacuate his wounded men, Keil and his men entered an abandoned house. He went to the roof to look out for any potential danger.



"I jumped up on the tallest part of the roof to lay a camel net on top of the stairwell to kind of hide us from sniper fire," Keil said. "That's when I got shot right in the right side of the neck. Hit me like a ton of bricks."



It wasn't until he was back at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington that the couple realized the severity of his injury. Tracy was abruptly informed of his condition while Keil was heavily sedated.



"A doctor came in, thought I knew and made a comment about being paralyzed from the neck down," Tracy Keil recalled. "He didn't know that nobody had sat down to tell me. ... I just collapsed."



When Keil awoke, a doctor informed him that the bullet had hit his spinal cord and explained that he had a "Christopher Reeve-type injury." After the initial shock, Matt and Tracy began to understand the full implications.



For Keil, who was independent and admits to being stubborn, that was hard to swallow.



"Realizing that my wife was going to be helping me eat, cleaning me up, doing things like that, it was kind of devastating," he admitted.



But the newlyweds stayed optimistic and started focusing on the next steps. One of the
PARKER , Colorado ( CNN ) -- Matt Keil did n't wait for a call to serve his country . Six weeks after Tracy and Matt Keil married in 2007 , he was hit by a sniper fire while serving in Iraq . He enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school in 2000 , and when the Iraq war started , Keil volunteered to go . Because he was single , he wanted to take the place of a parent , wife or husband who would otherwise be sent . " I wanted to go over and serve my country , " he recalled . After a year - long tour of duty in Iraq , Keil returned home to Colorado , where he met a young woman named Tracy who lived in the same apartment complex . He says he knew they were meant to be . " I woke up one morning , and my roommate was gone . I called him up and asked him what he was doing . He said he was down by the pool hanging out , " Keil said . " I asked him if there were any hot girls down there , and he said , ' Yeah , there are . ' " And the rest is history . Matt and Tracy began dating and fell in love , but he was soon told that his unit was being sent back to Iraq . Even though he knew redeployment was part of his job , this time things were different . He and Tracy were engaged to be married . Watch their story of love interrupted » At the time , the enemy in Iraq was growing stronger , and Keil 's unit was headed to Ramadi , the capital of Anbar province and a violent insurgent stronghold . Keil had been in Ramadi in 2004 and knew the mission would be dangerous . " They were definitely built up a lot more on our second tour , " he said . " Fallujah had just ended , and a lot of fighters from Fallujah had fled to nearby cities , and that 's what we were up against . " Though their wedding plans were put on hold , Matt and Tracy decided to marry as soon as he could get a leave of absence . " He got one of the earliest leaves you could take and came home in January , " Tracy Keil remembered . " The main reason we got married was , even though we planned on having a bigger wedding later , what if something happened ? " On February 24 , 2007 , six weeks after their wedding , something did happen . Keil , an infantry squad leader , was part of a major offensive to reclaim a portion of the city . His squad was ambushed , leaving 11 men severely wounded . After helping evacuate his wounded men , Keil and his men entered an abandoned house . He went to the roof to look out for any potential danger . " I jumped up on the tallest part of the roof to lay a camel net on top of the stairwell to kind of hide us from sniper fire , " Keil said . " That 's when I got shot right in the right side of the neck . Hit me like a ton of bricks . " It was n't until he was back at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington that the couple realized the severity of his injury . Tracy was abruptly informed of his condition while Keil was heavily sedated . " A doctor came in , thought I knew and made a comment about being paralyzed from the neck down , " Tracy Keil recalled . " He did n't know that nobody had sat down to tell me . ... I just collapsed . " When Keil awoke , a doctor informed him that the bullet had hit his spinal cord and explained that he had a " Christopher Reeve - type injury . " After the initial shock , Matt and Tracy began to understand the full implications . For Keil , who was independent and admits to being stubborn , that was hard to swallow . " Realizing that my wife was going to be helping me eat , cleaning me up , doing things like that , it was kind of devastating , " he admitted . But the newlyweds stayed optimistic and started focusing on the next steps . One of the
Where was Matt Keil deployed?
Where was Matt Keil deployed ?
Iraq.
Iraq.