For thousands of veterans who have been wounded overseas, the work of one charitable organization may help them live a more normal life as civilians. Operation Mend has been performing free plastic surgery on soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan in an attempt to help remove or reduce the appearance of their scars, NBC affiliate WECT reports.

One such soldier who is benefiting from the service of Operation Mend is Octavio Sanchez, who received burns over 70 percent of his body after an attack in Iraq in 2005. The roadside bomb also left him with facial injuries to his nose, which is being repaired by a plastic surgeon. The procedures have restored a level of normalcy to his life.

"It was pretty hurtful knowing that my child didn't recognize me, didn't know who I was," Sanchez told the news source. "Now with my nose being reconstructed, I blend in a whole lot more and I'm at peace and so are my children."

Those considering reconstructive surgery should be aware of their options as well as any potential risks associated with the procedure. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic

Surgery suggests that patients discuss any potential complications of such procedures, as well as the details of the recovery process, with their plastic surgeons.