As the ceasefire holds and people, families, businesses, and communities across Israel work to rebuild, an uncertain chapter is unfolding for thousands of reservists returning home.
Since the start of ground operations in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, 471 soldiers have died in combat, and over 19,000 have been wounded physically or mentally. For the wounded who survived, the battle shifts from the front lines to a different kind of fight: reclaiming their lives. Aaron Bours is one of them.
It has now been over a year since I first spoke to Aaron, a New York native who immigrated to Israel, serves as a reservist, and is chief marketing officer at the health-tech start-up Hyro.
On November 14, 2023, Hamas terrorists hiding in an UNRWA school ambushed his unit. While trying to save his officer, Capt. Omri Yosef David, Aaron was severely wounded by a Hamas sniper who shot him in both legs and eviscerated 8 centimeters of bone in his right leg. Omri was killed in the same incident.
What followed was 150 days of hospitalization, four surgeries, and 10 months of rehabilitation at Sheba Medical Center.
Now, two years later, after wheelchairs, crutches, a cane, and finally walking unaided, the bone has grown back. Aaron said that “if you look at me now, it’s very hard to tell that I took two bullets to the legs or that I was in a wheelchair for five months.” He still experiences intense nerve pain and is scheduled for another surgery soon, but you can find him walking slowly but constantly, strengthening his muscles, and refusing to accept limitations.
Beyond the physical recovery lies a more complex struggle. Aaron constantly feels his commemoration of Omri is insufficient, whether visiting his family or putting up decals across the country in his honor. A significant part of his healing is in sharing Omri’s story around the world.
However, Aaron is also a person navigating multiple identities: immigrant, tech professional, reservist, wounded soldier, advocate, and newlywed.
The hardest battle: Coming back
For Aaron, returning to professional life proved to be one of his hardest battles – a challenge faced by thousands of wounded soldiers. Along with recovering from his wounds, he experienced cognitive challenges, possibly from trauma or injury-related medications. Several questions arose from his predicament, including whether he could once again reach peak performance in hi-tech marketing, and whether he could honor Omri’s memory while rebuilding his own life.
To boost his motivation, Aaron threw himself into helping his company, Hyro, raise its next funding round. The effort succeeded, culminating in a deal with Norwest Venture Partners, a top-20 global venture capital firm, and securing $45 million in funding, which doubled Hyro’s valuation. The platform now reaches over 30 million patients across 45+ health systems, streamlining access to care through AI agents. This achievement for Hyro not only gave Aaron a renewed sense of purpose, but hope for the future and the possibility of fulfilling the most aspirational of goals.
But Aaron knows that many of the roughly 19,000 wounded soldiers struggle with the transition back to routine and careers. “When you keep the identity of a wounded soldier, you can start to resent yourself. You feel like a celebrated outcast, but an outcast nonetheless. You expect society to continue treating you differently, even as you heal. I believe that can be extremely dangerous for long-term success.”
Aaron believes that much more can be done to support soldiers and reservists wounded in war to transition back into routine. He noted that while hospitals provide excellent short-term support through nonprofit initiatives and volunteers, he’d like to see more sustainable planning to help soldiers reacclimate in the long term.
For example, Aaron listed solutions such as internships and networking events geared toward wounded soldiers, or tax breaks for tech companies to incentivize hiring reservists. Aaron also recently joined the board of House of Heroes, which helps wounded soldiers regain strength through boxing and fitness.
Living with purpose
As CMO and founding member at the start-up, Aaron’s work has taken on new meaning since his wounding. The aftermath of being wounded was the first time he had ever been hospitalized. It made him “feel like an absolute alien.” But experiencing the medical system from a patient’s perspective helped him understand patient care and fully realize his mission in healthcare. “It made me appreciate my industry tenfold, the complexity of healthcare, and the devastating impact of injuries and disease. Getting any relief while enduring this pain is game-changing.”
Alongside recovery and rebuilding his career, Aaron has booked dozens of speaking engagements across London, Los Angeles, Toronto, Miami, and Seoul – sharing his story and Omri’s sacrifice. His advocacy has been featured in Reuters, ABC News, the New York Post, The Daily Wire, and more, focusing on his advocacy against antisemitism and misinformation and empowering young Jews to stand up against intimidation on campuses.
However, regarding this juggling act of travel and advocacy abroad, Aaron raised the challenge of imbalance and readjustment. “If I fly, I’m not prioritizing physiotherapy or seeing my therapist. And if I load up on rehabilitation efforts in Israel and focus on my legs and health, I let my job suffer. And if I work long executive-level hours, I’m probably not doing what’s right for my overall recovery and medical care.”
A road map for wounded soldiers
For Aaron, the most powerful way to honor Omri is helping other wounded soldiers find their way forward, through some hard-won wisdom:
1. Refuse the lifetime membership on “Injury Island.” “Gratitude for survival is healthy; building your entire personality around one of the worst days of your life is cancerous,” Aaron said. He emphasized training both himself and others to see the wounding as a historical fact rather than a defining characteristic. “When people try to hand you the ‘wounded soldier card,’ decline it.”
2. Stay deliberately connected – but diversify your community. Aaron recommended finding four to six soldiers enduring similar challenges and creating a support group that meets weekly, which helps with processing the injury. Aaron also shared that he joined teams and activities that had nothing to do with being wounded.
3. Within 90 days of leaving the hospital, Aaron said, pick one physical activity you’re “not supposed” to be able to do – but make it measurable and public. For Aaron, this was registering for a 10-kilometer run in honor of Omri.
4. Most critically, build a core mission that extends beyond the military and your wounding. “When your days are driven by a future goal instead of a past event, the war becomes background noise,” Aaron explained. “You stop being defined by what happened to you and start being defined by what you’re building.”
As for future milestones, Aaron said, “only time will tell.” He’s excited about the journey ahead and the opportunities and growth it will bring, including his broader involvement for long-term initiatives that empower wounded soldiers – not only through physical and mental rehabilitation, but also by helping them rebuild careers, confidence, and self-identity.
For Aaron, removing the “wounded” label has been daunting but invigorating. “The sky’s the limit, and I’m looking forward to whatever chapter comes next. There are multiple dimensions to my life, and I intend to beat the wounded soldier stigma and find success beyond my scars.”