John Martinson John has always had a love and appreciation for sports and the outdoors. He can often be found riding his motorcycle, hunting, fishing, or swimming. After an injury, a little over 20 years ago, that appreciation has only expanded. 21 years ago while painting his shop ceiling at home, John fell 12 feet…
Bobby Russell is a man on the move. Whether traveling around the US, camping, skateboarding, or hunting, Bobby is always sure to fill his time with something active. In 2007, at 27 years old, the unthinkable happened. While driving to an A/C repair job, Bobby was in a horrible car accident. His memory of the…
Ali-Zia Kerawala Since he was young, Zia has been fascinated with the ocean and scuba diving. He grew up watching documentaries about oceanography and dreamed of one day being able to explore the vast ocean himself. However, a diagnosis in early childhood threatened to keep this dream from ever coming true. At just 6 years old, Zia…
Deaken Ailshire To summarize Deaken Ailshire, his mom Megan would choose the phrase “old soul.” At 15 years old, Deaken has the maturity and can-do attitude that far surpasses many of his peers. He was born with a condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenital (AMC) which causes stiffening of muscles and joints, but he has never…
Todd is an athlete, pure and simple. He has enjoyed many sports throughout his life, and that drive continues today, though now it is all adaptive. His athleticism and his training as a chiropractor have been true assets as he now navigates life in a wheelchair. Todd was just enjoying a cup of coffee one…
Staff Sgt. Andrew Carpenter, US Army After high school Drew was drawn to the military, determined to be what he calls a net positive, with a goal to support others who can’t support themselves. In aviation operations, he was in a black hawk unit during his service from 2004 to 2007. During that time he…
Petty Officer First Class Karl Olson, US Navy Karl grew up amazed at the submarines he saw on PBS on Saturday morning’s military hour, and at age 19 he was walking onto his first submarine as a member of the United States Navy. He remembers thinking, “Two years ago I was on a tractor in Minnesota, now I get…
Adam Cherney, US Marines Adam always knew he would join the military, as his grandfather, father, and mother served their country; his father was a Marine, and his mother was a member of the US Navy. So, after high school, he set a goal to get healthy and joined the US Marines in 2011. Seven months into training, Adam…
Staff Sgt. Brian Dupree, US Air Force “Originally, I signed up for the educational benefits but during my 1st term, I deployed to the Middle East and everything changed. I quickly realized that my work in telecommunications had a direct connection to the warfighter and gave them a critical lifeline when calling for support. It…