wounded veteran Archives - Military Connection

By Debbie Gregory

Veterans: it is time to support one of your own, as medically retired Army Sergeant Noah Galloway is need of your votes while competing on the hit ABC show “Dancing with the Stars.”

Noah Galloway served in the 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. On December 19, 2005, during his second deployment to Iraq, Sgt. Galloway was wounded by a roadside bomb. Five days after the IED attack, Galloway woke up at a hospital in Germany. The explosion that nearly killed him resulted in him losing his left arm and left leg above the knee.

Previous to sustaining his injuries, Galloway had not only been a fit soldier, but a work-out fanatic and competitive athlete. After his release from the hospital and rehabilitation, Galloway became depressed, started drinking, and let himself get out of shape. One day, he took along, hard look in the mirror and decided to change what was reflected. He didn’t want to just see his injuries, knowing that there was much more to who he was than just that. He decided to get back into shape and inspire others.

Noah is now a personal trainer and motivational speaker. The wounded warrior also participates in 5K and 10K races, as well as grueling Tough Mudder and Spartan races. Noah doesn’t make excuses for himself, and won’t allow his clients to make excuses for not being able to accomplish their goals.

Noah successfully changed the image of the man that he saw in the mirror. In November, 2014, he was on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine, and was named the publication’s “Ultimate Guy” for 2014. Noah has also been on various talk shows, and created the No Excuses Charitable Fund. Now, in an attempt to inspire others and raise awareness for his charitable causes, Noah is taking on the ballroom, competitors and judges on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Noah faces several different challenges that the show’s first double amputee contestant, Amy Purdy, didn’t. Purdy, who finished in third place, had both of her legs amputated below the knees. Noah, however, has his leg amputated above the knee, meaning that he has an artificial joint and not as much control. Also, male ballroom dancers traditionally lead with their left arm. These two obstacles will present challenges for Noah and his partner, Sharna Burgess, but they aren’t making any excuses.

Together, Sharna and Noah, dubbed #TeamShway, are already creating quite a stir on the dance floor. Week 1 of Season 20 aired on March 16, 2015. Team Shway danced the cha-cha, and finished to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. They received a middle-of-the-pack score of 26 out of 40. All teams are safe in week one. But from now on, #TeamShway needs your vote to keep dancing throughout the season.

Veterans, be sure to watch Noah and #TeamShway on DWTS and vote at www.abc.com, on Facebook, or by calling 1 (855) 234-5605.

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Military Connection: Inspirational Veteran on Hit TV Show: By Debbie Gregory

Early in December, the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) announced the launch of its revamped Wounded, Ill, and Injured (WII) website as part of its ongoing Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) program.

The newly designed WII website is intended to support the Department of the Navy’s commitment to care for Sailors and Marines recovering from wounds, illnesses, or injuries, regardless of where and when they were sustained.

The website provides Sailors and Marines with information, links to resources, and helpful tools that offer support through their healing, rehabilitation and recovery. The site offers its users direct, one-click access to links that provide the following resources: Active Living for WII, Caregiver Support, Case Management, Healthy Eating for WII, Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Injury & Violence Free Living for WII, Life After an Amputation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychological & Emotional Well-Being for WII, Relationships & Intimacy, Sleep for WII, Substance Use & Misuse, Tobacco Free Living for WII, Traumatic Brain Injury, Weight Management for WII, and a Will Toolbox.

The health and wellness topics provided on the site go along with the priorities outlined in the National Prevention Strategy, including healthier living, holistic care, weight management and substance abuse.

Many of the site’s resources also focus on helping health educators, providers, and case managers reach the WII audience, while the practical tools aim at equipping WII service members in their daily battle for healing and recovery. The tools span six key topics: nutrition, relationships and intimacy, caregiver support, depression, sleep and integrative and complementary medicine.

But the WII site is available for anyone. If you or someone you know is wounded, ill or injured, be sure to refer them to the WII website at http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/wounded-ill-and-injured/Pages/wii.aspx and link them to information they might need to know about resources that they didn’t know were available to them.