Heath Calhoun
Born in Bristol, Tennessee in 1979, Heath Calhoun graduated from Grundy High School in 1997, and went on to Southwest Virginia Community College, graduating in 1999 with an associates degree.
At a young age, Heath earned respect for the U.S. military. His father served in Vietnam and his grandfather in World War II and in 1999, Heath made the decision to carry on his family's dedication to the military and to the service of his country when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He completed his infantry, Airborne and Ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was then deployed to Iraq where he was assigned as a Squad Leader for the famed 101st Airborne Division.
It was there his convoy was attacked and hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. I was at the rear corner of the Humvee when the grenade hit the tail light right beside my right leg and exploded, he said. I was lying on my side. I could see my legs were really messed up. Heath yelled to the driver of the vehicle to call the incident in to headquarters. I laid my head back down and thats all I remember.
The injuries he sustained ultimately resulted in the loss of both legs above the knees. Another soldier was killed in the attack. Heath wears a bracelet etched with the soldiers name and date of the attack on his right wrist in honor of his service.
Heath endured nine months of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. and became involved in sports shortly after his injury. In 2008, Calhoun dedicated himself to working toward competing at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and he moved thousands of miles away from his family in Virigina, to spend the winter training with one of the nation's top adaptive ski racing programs in Aspen, Colorado.
Calhoun's dedication paid off at the 2009 U.S. Adaptive Alpine National Championships where he took second place in the men's sit-ski slalom and won gold in the men's sit-ski super G. Next stop, Vancouver.
Major Achievements:
- 2009: First Place, Super G, - U.S. National Championships
- 2009: Second Place, Slalom - U.S. National Championships
- 2009: Top 10 Finish, Giant Slalom - World Cup Vancouver
- 2009: Ski Race Magazine - Role Model of the Year
- 2008: First Place, Slalom - Eastern NorAm
- 2008: Amputee Coalition of America - Role Model of the Year
- 2008: Colorado Ski Country Adaptive Athlete of the Year
- 2007: Wounded Warrior Project - George C. Lang Courage Award Recipient
