WEBVTT 00:02.607 --> 00:04.652 - My grandfather was a Marine and just 00:04.652 --> 00:06.609 the stories that he would tell me 00:06.609 --> 00:09.956 that he experienced in the Marine Corps was one of the 00:09.956 --> 00:12.100 major factors in me wanting to become a Marine. 00:12.100 --> 00:13.513 I wanted something bigger and better, 00:13.513 --> 00:17.188 so I've always strived to be competitive 00:17.188 --> 00:18.964 and always wanted to be number one. 00:18.964 --> 00:21.105 So I went out and I became a sniper. 00:21.105 --> 00:22.892 My guys and the guys that I was out there with, 00:22.892 --> 00:25.432 my team, and even the rest of the guys in that company 00:25.432 --> 00:27.614 that were out there, we just, our bond was, 00:27.614 --> 00:30.769 our brotherhood was just so strong. 00:30.769 --> 00:35.077 It kind of sucked that it all happened, but 00:35.077 --> 00:37.325 I told them when they were putting me on a bird, 00:37.325 --> 00:41.192 I'll be back and they're like, you're crazy, you're crazy. 00:41.192 --> 00:43.909 I woke up in the hospital and that's all I wanted to do. 00:43.909 --> 00:46.179 I was like, what do I have to do to get back to my guys. 00:46.179 --> 00:48.593 I don't care what I have to do, I'm gonna do it. 00:48.593 --> 00:50.862 And a lot of people told me, you know you're probably 00:50.862 --> 00:52.458 not gonna be back to do those things anymore. 00:52.458 --> 00:55.376 You might want to consider either medically retiring or 00:55.376 --> 00:58.784 changing your MOS to a different, getting a different MOS. 00:58.784 --> 01:00.814 And I was like, nope. I'm gonna do it. 01:00.814 --> 01:03.230 I said I was gonna do it so I'm gonna do it. 01:03.230 --> 01:05.411 I just pretty much never took no for an answer 01:05.411 --> 01:07.200 and kept training, kept getting better 01:07.200 --> 01:10.963 phsically and mentally to prepare myself to go back. 01:10.963 --> 01:14.157 I finally passed the PFT/CFT and was able to go back 01:14.157 --> 01:17.445 to Afghanistan fifteen months after I lost my leg. 01:17.445 --> 01:19.712 I never wanted anyone to feel sorry for me 01:19.712 --> 01:22.024 or feel like I'm incapable of doing something 01:22.024 --> 01:26.278 or treating me any different just cause I don't have my leg. 01:26.278 --> 01:30.200 So I just constantly strive to do bigger and better things 01:30.200 --> 01:32.311 and be better than people with two legs. 01:32.311 --> 01:33.690 I've been able to do that actually 01:33.690 --> 01:35.811 quite a lot so that's pretty cool. 01:35.811 --> 01:40.220 Training for games and then actually now competing in games 01:40.220 --> 01:42.954 with the rest of the injured service members over here, 01:42.954 --> 01:46.453 it's actually really awesome to be here with all these guys. 01:46.453 --> 01:49.020 It helps in a lot of different ways. 01:49.020 --> 01:52.641 The mental aspect of it, knowing that, like I said, 01:52.641 --> 01:54.531 some people are worse off than others. 01:54.531 --> 01:55.880 But you can't really complain about it 01:55.880 --> 01:58.348 but you guys kind of help each other, lift each other up. 01:58.348 --> 02:01.181 And the competitiveness in itself 02:02.069 --> 02:03.781 when you want to be better, 02:03.781 --> 02:06.721 it makes you work harder so that you can be number one. 02:06.721 --> 02:07.979 So you can get the gold. 02:07.979 --> 02:10.478 It helps in a lot of different ways. 02:10.478 --> 02:15.199 My story's... to me I don't really think it's a big deal, 02:15.199 --> 02:17.768 but it's inspirational and a lot of these guys 02:17.768 --> 02:20.853 have really inspirational stories themselves. 02:20.853 --> 02:24.272 And to just be a part of people that want bigger 02:24.272 --> 02:25.575 and better things for themselves, 02:25.575 --> 02:29.190 they wanna push themselves, that's why they're here. 02:29.190 --> 02:30.365 That's awesome just to be around that 02:30.365 --> 02:33.178 mentality, that mindset of a person. 02:33.178 --> 02:34.796 The majority of my guys know that I'm here 02:34.796 --> 02:39.791 and they're like, you better win or don't come back. 02:39.791 --> 02:41.762 So it's good, the pressure's on already and the 02:41.762 --> 02:45.340 competition hasn't started so that's good. 02:45.340 --> 02:48.759 I guess I have a rep to protect. 02:48.759 --> 02:52.097 Thank you to all the fellow athletes for giving it their all 02:52.097 --> 02:54.174 and pushing me and letting me push them 02:54.174 --> 02:56.331 to the furthest of their abilities. 02:56.331 --> 02:58.868 And then also thank the coaches and the event staff, 02:58.868 --> 03:01.507 and everyone else for getting us here and allowing us 03:01.507 --> 03:06.376 this opportunity to compete and hopefully be part of 03:06.376 --> 03:09.505 Team USA for the Olympics in the end, 03:09.505 --> 03:11.838 so we'll see how that goes.