#218: Paralympian Lost His Foot in War, Fought To Stay in the Army & Compete in Paris

Run The Race

A little more than a decade after getting blown up by an IED during the War in Afghanistan, this Army sharpshooter competed in his second Paralympics. Back from Paris, he joined us on the "Run the Race" podcast to tell his inspiring story and with some wisdom on resilience. (3:31) SSG Kevin Nguyen first tells us about his combat injury as a 20-year-old soldiers...making the decision for doctors to amputate and (15:11) what it's like being an amputee...facing fitness challenges to be able to stay in the Army...(23:25) how he ended up being a competitive shooter, competing at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics, what it was like at both...how training goes for shooting against the best...(40:04) how his 13-year Army career prepared him for the Paralympics, physically and mentally after facing a depressive crisis a decade earlier...representing USA and also winning gold at the Parapan American Games...and why he's trading in his competition jacket for a chance to help future warfighters. Thanks for listening to the #RunTheRace podcast, which I hope you'll subscribe to! Share it with your friends. Also, write a quick review about it, on Apple podcasts. For more info and listen to any previous episodes, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.