( CNN ) -- A Marine who survived being burned over more than 95 percent of his body in Iraq and established a charity to help burned children has died , the military has announced . Sgt . Merlin German was 22 . He was severely wounded February 21 , 2005 , en route to Camp Ramadi when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb . He was not expected to survive , but he was transported to Germany and then to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas , which has the U.S. military 's top burns unit . He spent nine months in intensive care and underwent more than 100 operations . German moved out of the hospital into his own home after 17 months of treatment . He founded Merlin 's Miracles , a charity that aims `` to assist burned children and their families to take vacations , trips , outings or anything the families needed to make life a little easier , '' according to its Web site . German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center of complications after surgery . `` He beat all odds and then on top of that continued to serve as an inspiration and motivator for others , '' said Dr. Evan Renz , a critical-care surgeon who treated German . `` It is very difficult to describe the sense of loss . He endeared himself to all he came in contact with . It 's really impossible to describe , except to say : Imagine the loss of dear family or friend . '' Renz remembers being impressed with German from the start . `` This young man was clearly showing us signs he was going to fight through this from the very first minute , '' he said . `` There was consensus he was going to be a someone who would probably break some of the previous expectations about survivability . If someone was going to survive , he was going to be that individual . '' E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Barbara Starr and Larry Shaugnessy contributed to this report .
Sgt . Merlin German was burned over more than 95 percent of his body in 2005 . He spent nine months in intensive care and underwent more than 100 operations . German founded Merlin 's Miracles , a charity to help burned children . `` He endeared himself to all he came in contact with , '' doctor says .