After more than a year of intense and sometimes painful rehabilitation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer Vann Streety is back to work doing what he loves - patrolling the woods and waters of the state.

Streety was shot multiple times on July 15, 2009, while patrolling in a wooded, rural area in Brevard County locally known for poaching, illegal dumping and trespassing.

The man accused of shooting him is in the Brevard County jail awaiting trial for first-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

"Not returning to work in law enforcement was never really a consideration for me because this is what I do. It is my passion," Streety said.

"The road to recovery has been long and arduous at times, but regaining the use and strength in my shattered arm and hand was paramount in whether I returned to work with no restrictions or to limited duty," Streety said of his rehab and decision to return to his job as an FWC law enforcement officer.

"The latter of those two outcomes was unacceptable to me, and through hard work, the professionalism and talent of my physicians and therapists, and God's grace, I am returning to duty with no restrictions."

It all started about 8 p.m. on that ill-fated night last year while Streety patrolled along a dirt road in an isolated area in Brevard County. Streety had stopped a vehicle driven by Christopher Eddy, then 23, near the intersection of Satellite Boulevard and State Road 520.

After learning Eddy was wanted on a warrant, Streety attempted to arrest him, and Eddy opened fire.

Streety was struck in the hand, left arm and several times in the back of his bullet-resistant vest and badge wallet. The bullet pierced the wallet, but a challenge coin Streety kept with him at all times stopped it.

He spent two weeks in the hospital before beginning the long rehabilitation process.

"We are happy to have Vann back at work," said Col. Jim Brown, director of the FWC's Division of Law Enforcement. "But, more importantly, we are glad that he has recovered and is healthy again."