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Military

Double-Arm Transplant Vet Gets Wish For First Handshake (Video)

Retired Army Sgt. Brendan Marrocco

Quadruple amputee and double arm transplant recipient Brendan Marrocco recently told reporters he wanted country music star Blake Shelton to be his first handshake post-transplant. And Shelton has reached out through Twitter to assure Marrocco he'll make that wish come true.

The Twitter exchange went like this:

"Hey Brendan @BMarr86....I can't WAIT to shake the hand of an American Hero/Stud... You my brother."

"@blakeshelton holy mother of god!! I can't wait. I'm a huge fan and really looking forward to it. Thank you."
Marrocco, a retired Army sergeant, is the first quadruple amputee to survive the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He's also the first member of the U.S. military to receive a double arm transplant.

Marrocco underwent the transplant at Johns Hopkins six weeks ago. He held a news conference with his doctors on Tuesday, and I've posted that video (courtesy of The Pentagon Channel) up top.

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Marrocco lost all four limbs in a 2009 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He received his arms for the transplant from a deceased donor.