As the 2012 Paralympic Games continue in London, our 20 participating U.S. service members and veterans are performing magnificently. They have accumulated, as of last night, seven medals — that is almost one medal for every two of these athletes:
Former West Point cadet and three-letter varsity athlete at the U.S. Military Academy Jennifer Schuble won the silver medal in the 500-meter time trial paracycling event, an event in which she earned the gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Schuble also shared the bronze medal with her teammates in the team sprint cycling event and she still has two more events to go.
A native of Lake Charles, La., Schuble is participating in her second Paralympic Games this year in London. At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, she received the gold medal in the 500m time trial; the silver medal for the individual time trial; and the silver medal for the individual pursuit. Along with cycling and working a full-time job as an engineer for Mercedes-Benz Corp., Schuble, enjoys spending time with her English bulldog, playing cello and restoring her home.
According to American Forces Press Service’s Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.:
The former Army cadet suffered a traumatic brain injury during hand-to-hand combat training at the academy. She later was involved in a car accident in which her right arm was crushed and her TBI was exacerbated. In a final challenging blow, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2004.
As reported earlier, retired Marine Sergeant Rob Jones, a bilateral above-the-knee knee amputee after being injured in Afghanistan in 2010, won the bronze medal in the trunk and arms mixed double sculls rowing event.
Also as reported earlier, Navy Lt. Bradley Snyder, who was blinded while attempting to disable an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on Sept. 7, 2011, won the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter freestyle swimming event.
Navy Lt. Bradley Snyder is greeted by his coach, Brian Loeffler, after winning the qualifying round of the 100-meter freestyle swim during the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. ( DOD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.)
Snyder went on to also win the silver medal in the men’s 50-meter freestyle swimming.
He will be competing in his primary event, the 400-meter freestyle, on Friday, September 7, — the anniversary of his Afghanistan accident.
Angela Madsen won the bronze medal in the women’s shot put event. Named by the Amateur Athletic Foundation as a recipient of the “Women Who Inspire Us” award, Madsen placed seventh in rowing in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Madsen is the world record holder in shot put, and the Americas’ record holder in shot put and javelin. She received the silver medal in shot put at the 2011 Parapan American Games. She is a 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Guinness World rowing record holder. She resides in Long Beach, Calif.
Scott Severn won the bronze medal in the men’s shot put event. Severn made his Paralympic Games debut in 2008, competing in the men’s discus and the men’s shot put. In 1989, he was on duty with the Army Reserves on Camp Grayling, Mich., when he was struck by lightning. The bolt threw him 40 feet and caused severe external and internal burns. The injuries left him an incomplete quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for daily activities. He began participating in wheelchair sports in 2003. Among his accomplishments, Severn participated as a track and field team member at the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008. He serves as the sports director for the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America and on the Michigan Department of National Resources Accessibility Advisory Council.
Below: U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Rene Renteria, #8, a forward for the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team, and his teammates attempt to defend the moves of a Brazilian player during a soccer match at the Riverbank Arena during the Paralympic Games in London, Sept. 3, 2012.
Renteria, a radar repairman by trade and assigned to the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif., is one of three active-duty service members competing in the Paralympic Games. He credits his family with keeping him focused, especially during tough times. According to Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. American Forces Press Service:
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“I have wife and a daughter,” he said. “[They’re] who I’m here for. They help me keep my head up, with whatever goes on. [Sometimes] it’s a struggle . I guess it’s just all mental.”
The U.S. Paralympic soccer team forward, a native of Sun Valley, Calif., said his four years of military service have helped him reach the Paralympics. He has served a deployment to Afghanistan, and he played on the 2010 All-Marines soccer team.
Photos, Captions and other biographical information courtesy American Forces Press Service and DOD
