Birth Year: 1979
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Retired Staff Sgt. Heath Calhoun has gone from the battlefield to the ski slopes, all in the name of representing his country – first in the military and now as a U.S. athlete.
At a young age, Calhoun earned respect for the U.S. military. His father served in Vietnam and his grandfather in World War II, and in 1999, Calhoun 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.
While deployed in Iraq, Calhoun served as Squad Leader for the 101st Airborne Division. He was severely injured when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his Humvee in 2003, resulting in the amputation of both his legs above the knee.
During rehabilitation and learning to walk on prosthetics, Calhoun learned about the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which provides programs and support for injured service members, and through the program was introduced to adaptive skiing. Calhoun is an advocate for wounded warriors and helped to get the Wounded Warrior Bill passed through Congress in 2005. Then in 2007, the WWP awarded him with George C. Lang Award for Courage in honor of the achievements he has made.
In 2006, Calhoun began training with USOC Paralympic Military Program in alpine skiing through a partner organization, Challenge Aspen, at Snowmass, Colo. and is now a certified mono-ski instructor.
Calhoun has not used a wheelchair since July 2005 and is now not only walking but is running, swimming, golfing, and hiking.
Major Achievements:
- 2012: Silver medal, Downhill; Bronze medal, Super-G – U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing National Championships, Aspen, Colorado
- 2010: Eighth place, Super-G; 10th place, Super Combined – Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver, Canada
- 2010: Sixth place, Super Combined – World Cup,Sestriere, Italy
- 2009: 10th place, Giant Slalom; 13th , Super Combined; 17th place, Super-G – World Cup, Whistler, British Columbia
- 2008: First place, Super-G – U.S. Nationals
- 2008: Second place, Slalom – U.S. Nationals