February 23, 2022

Veterans and their teammates prepare for Winter Paralympics

By The American Legion
News
Veterans and their teammates prepare for Winter Paralympics
Dan Cnossen competes in the men’s sitting cross country sprint at the Lillehammer 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships.

11 veterans are among the 67-member Team USA squad heading to China for the Paralympic Games in March.

Eleven former servicemembers are among those representing the U.S. in the 2022 Winter Paralympics, coming up March 5-13 in Beijing.

All told, Team USA includes 67 athletes, including two guides for visually impaired athletes.

Here’s a look at the veterans representing the U.S. in the Winter Paralympics:

Alpine skiing

David Williams (Miami, Fla.) sustained a spinal cord injury while serving in the Navy in 2014. He’s competing in his first Paralympics.

Nordic skiing

·       Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kan.) was platoon commander for SEAL Team One in Afghanistan in September 2009 when he stepped on an IED. The accident caused Cnossen to lose both his legs above the knee. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with Valor. Cnossen is headed to his third Paralympics. At the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, he won gold in the 7.5K biathlon; silver in the 12.5K biathlon, 15K cross country, 15K biathlon and 7.5K cross country; and bronze in the cross country sprint.

·       Retired Marine Corps Sgt. Josh Sweeney (Glendale, Ariz.) became a bilateral amputee after stepping on an IED while serving in Afghanistan in October 2009. He was awarded a Purple Heart. A gold medalist with the U.S. sled hockey team in Sochi in 2014, Sweeney’s second Paralympics appearance comes in the men’s sitting class in Nordic skiing.

Sled hockey

Of the 17 members of the U.S. sled hockey team, six are veterans.

·       Retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Ralph DeQuebec (Denver, Colo.) is a bilateral above-knee amputee after being injured by an IED while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. He was awarded a Purple Heart. This is his second Paralympics; he was part of the gold medal team in Pyeongchang in 2018.

·       Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.) is a retired Marine corporal who was serving in Iraq in 2007 when he was struck by a grenade tossed into the second-story room where he was staying. Dodson lost his left leg at the hip and right leg below the knee. He was awarded a Purple Heart. This is Dodson’s third Paralympics appearance; he competed in Nordic skiing in Sochi in 2014 and was a member of the gold medal sled hockey team in Pyeongchang in 2018.

·       Jen Lee (San Francisco) is the new starting goaltender for Team USA, replacing Steve Cash who retired after a 16-year career that included four Paralympics and eight world championships. An Army veteran, Lee had his left leg amputated after a motorcycle accident in 2009. This is Lee’s third Paralympics appearance; he was part of the gold medal teams in Sochi in 2014 and Pyeongchang in 2018.

·       Retired Lance Cpl., Josh Misiewicz (La Grange, Ill.) is a double above-knee amputee after being injured by an IED in Afghanistan. He was awarded a Purple Heart. This is his second Paralympics appearance; Misiewicz scored 10 points in five games for the gold medalists in Pyeongchang in 2018.

·       Rico Roman (Portland, Ore.) is a retired Army staff sergeant who had his left leg amputated above the knee after being wounded by an IED in Iraq in 2007. He was awarded a Purple Heart. The oldest member of the American sled hockey squad at 41, Roman is making his third Paralympics appearance after being part of gold medal teams in 2014 and 2018.

·       Joseph Woodke (Franklin, Tenn.) was a Marine corporal on patrol in Afghanistan in 2011 when he stepped on an IED, losing both legs. He was awarded a Purple Heart. This is Woodke’s first Paralympics.

Snowboarding

·       Tyler Burdick (Salt Lake City, Utah) was injured in Afghanistan when his armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. A hospital corpsman assigned to 3rd Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, Burdick sustained serious injuries to both feet. After competing in Sochi in 2014, he began developing pain in his legs and chose to have them amputated. This is his second Paralympics.

·       Michael Spivey (Abilene, Tex.) was a sergeant in the Marines when he was injured by an IED in Afghanistan in 2019. He lost his left arm below the elbow and suffered shrapnel injuries to his back and legs. This is his second Paralympics after competing in Pyeongchang in 2018.

All events at the 2022 Winter Paralympics will be streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com, with TV coverage on NBC, Olympic Channel and USA Network. For more, go to TeamUSA.org.

  • News