The 2026 Winter Paralympics take place March 7-15 in Milan.
Among the 72 members of the 2026 U.S. Paralympic team are nine athletes with military or academy experience.
The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games begin with Friday’s opening ceremony, with competition March 7-15. As with the Winter Olympics, NBC, Peacock and USA Network will carry coverage of the Paralympic Games.
Here’s a look at those Paralympians with military ties representing Team USA.
Alpine skiing
David Williams, who sustained a spinal cord injury while serving in the Navy, is competing in his second Paralympics after debuting in Beijing in 2022.
Curling
After attending West Point, Steve Emt was paralyzed after an auto accident. He’s now a three-time Paralympian, finishing 12th in team mixed curling in Pyeongchang in 2018 and 5th in the event in Beijing in 2022.
While serving in the Army in Afghanistan in 2010, Dan Rose’s truck was hit by an IED. Rose was left paralyzed from the chest down. He’ll be competing in his first Paralympics.
Another first time Paralympian is Katie Verderber. A former Judge Advocate General in the Army, she medically retired after a back injury in Afghanistan permanently damaged her spine.
Sled hockey
Three members of Team USA’s sled hockey team are veterans.
Marine veteran Travis Dodson was struck by a grenade in Iraq in 2007, losing his left leg at the hip and right leg below the knee. He competed in the biathlon in Sochi in 2014, then joined the U.S. sled hockey team and earned gold medals in Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022.
Army veteran Jen Lee was injured in a motorcycle accident and had his left leg amputated above the knee. He’s a three-time gold medalist, as backup goalie in 2014 and 2018 and starting goalie in 2022.
Marine veteran Josh Misiewicz lost both his legs after being injured by an IED in Afghanistan in 2011. He’s in his third Paralympics, and in 2022 finished third on the team in scoring with four goals and six assists.
Nordic skiing
While serving as platoon commander for SEAL Team One in Afghanistan in 2009, Dan Cnossen stepped on an IED and lost both legs above the knees. He’ll compete in his fourth Paralympics this year, looking to add to his seven medals (two gold, four silver and one bronze).
Marine veteran Josh Sweeney stepped on an IED while on patrol in Afghanistan in 2009, losing both legs above the knee. He helped Team USA win the sled hockey gold medal in the 2014 Games, as he scored the game-winning goal in the final and received the inaugural ESPY Pat Tillman Award for Service. He returned to the Paralympics in 2022 in cross-country skiing.
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