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[q]Maimed soldiers retraining to serve in another foreign field
From David Charter in Washington
JOEY BOZIK had no right to survive the blast that blew off both his legs and his right arm.
The landmine that maimed the young US Army sergeant made him one of the hidden statistics of the Iraq war — one of 400 amputees among nearly 16,000 US troops wounded since the invasion. Yet, despite his horrific injuries, Sergeant Bozik has joined the growing ranks of disabled veterans who are determined to fight for their country again.
Only this time the medals they dream of are gold.
The unprecedented number of troops who are returning from Iraq with missing limbs has given the US Paralympic Team an unexpected recruitment boost and the chance to become “unbeatable” at the next Games in Beijing in 2008. More than 60 potential recruits have already been identified in sports as varied as powerlifting, archery and table tennis.
John Register, a veteran of the Gulf War in 1990, who manages the US Paralympic Academy, said: “This has been a shot in the arm of the Paralympic movement and an immediate boost. The Paralympics is a huge motivating factor for injured service members. It exponentially increases the individual’s idea of what is possible.”
One name to watch is Kortney Clemons. The 25-year-old combat medic played football, basketball and baseball back in Mississippi. His right leg was blown off above the knee in a Baghdad backstreet in February while he was carrying a wounded comrade. Mr Clemons is aiming for the podium in powerlifting. “Sport allows us to know we might have bad days, just like anybody else, but we can continue to move on in life and still compete,” he said. “
You can’t get stuck in that rut, start feeling pity for yourself and let life pass you by.”
Ramon Guitard, 22, was trying to protect civilians on a Baghdad bus when his vehicle was hit by several explosives. He lost his right leg above the knee, had his left leg fused with a titanium rod, and a stroke later left him partially paralysed on his left side. He is a medal hopeful after recording 2 hrs 21 min in this year’s New York marathon. “It is all about continuing to find freedom outside of my injury,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1900371,00.html
[/q]
From David Charter in Washington
JOEY BOZIK had no right to survive the blast that blew off both his legs and his right arm.
The landmine that maimed the young US Army sergeant made him one of the hidden statistics of the Iraq war — one of 400 amputees among nearly 16,000 US troops wounded since the invasion. Yet, despite his horrific injuries, Sergeant Bozik has joined the growing ranks of disabled veterans who are determined to fight for their country again.
Only this time the medals they dream of are gold.
The unprecedented number of troops who are returning from Iraq with missing limbs has given the US Paralympic Team an unexpected recruitment boost and the chance to become “unbeatable” at the next Games in Beijing in 2008. More than 60 potential recruits have already been identified in sports as varied as powerlifting, archery and table tennis.
John Register, a veteran of the Gulf War in 1990, who manages the US Paralympic Academy, said: “This has been a shot in the arm of the Paralympic movement and an immediate boost. The Paralympics is a huge motivating factor for injured service members. It exponentially increases the individual’s idea of what is possible.”
One name to watch is Kortney Clemons. The 25-year-old combat medic played football, basketball and baseball back in Mississippi. His right leg was blown off above the knee in a Baghdad backstreet in February while he was carrying a wounded comrade. Mr Clemons is aiming for the podium in powerlifting. “Sport allows us to know we might have bad days, just like anybody else, but we can continue to move on in life and still compete,” he said. “
You can’t get stuck in that rut, start feeling pity for yourself and let life pass you by.”
Ramon Guitard, 22, was trying to protect civilians on a Baghdad bus when his vehicle was hit by several explosives. He lost his right leg above the knee, had his left leg fused with a titanium rod, and a stroke later left him partially paralysed on his left side. He is a medal hopeful after recording 2 hrs 21 min in this year’s New York marathon. “It is all about continuing to find freedom outside of my injury,” he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1900371,00.html
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