A Navy veteran is recovering after a brutal assault in the Brewerytown neighborhood of Philadelphia that left him with a severe brain injury.

Scott Harris, who had served in Iraq and as an advisor in Ukraine, was out walking his dog on a Saturday evening when he was viciously attacked and robbed, just a block from his West Jefferson Street home near N. 30th Street.

Reflecting on the irony of his situation, Harris stated, “It’s kind of ironic. I spent a year in a war zone and two years in a country that’s not so safe, and then I come here and get attacked in a neighborhood a block from my house.”

Harris currently works at the Navy Yard but has a blurred memory of the night of the attack due to a concussion sustained during the incident, the local ABC affiliate reports.

The assault occurred as he was walking his dog, Nora, and he believes his attackers were connected to an illegal gathering in a nearby park. Earlier in the evening, Harris had contacted the police, but they did not respond to his call.

The attack left Harris with extensive injuries, including more than 100 stitches, broken teeth, and a traumatic brain injury. His assailants also made off with his wallet and credit cards. He shared, “The only thing I cared about was my mother passed, I had her driver’s license in my wallet because I always wanted to keep her close.”

Surveillance footage captured three compassionate women assisting Harris and his dog back to his home, likely attendees of the same party who took pity on him.

Harris’s partner, Joseph Hurchick, recalled his shock upon seeing Harris after the attack. “I saw these three young ladies walking him and the dog back to the house. When he got back to the house he was bleeding,” Hurchick said. “His shirt was soaked, his pants were soaked. I didn’t know if he was stabbed or what.”

Harris spent three days in the hospital, and although police are investigating the incident, no arrests have been made.

Despite the harrowing experience, Harris remains determined not to let it change who he is. Still, he acknowledges that he will approach the streets of his own neighborhood with a heightened sense of vigilance, saying, “You can’t let things like this change you or make you not trust people anymore. Maybe be a little more vigilant.”