Joshua Sweeney

Joshua Sweeney (born June 6, 1987) is an American gold medal ice sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient who competed in 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

Josh Sweeney

Sweeney in 2015
Personal information
Full nameJoshua Sweeney
Nationality United States
Born (1987-06-06) June 6, 1987
Williams AFB, Arizona, U.S.
EducationIronwood High School
Military career
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Years of service2005–2010
Rank Sergeant
Unit3rd Battalion, 4th Marines[1]
Battles/warsGlobal War on Terrorism
Awards Purple Heart
Medal record
Men's para ice hockey
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
2014 Sochi Team competition
World Championships
2015 Buffalo Team competition
2019 Ostrava Team competition

Early life

Sweeney's passion for hockey began at an early age, as he played ice hockey during middle school & competed in his high school team.[2] A graduate of Ironwood High School's class of 2005, he shortly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

Military life

In September 2009, Sergeant Sweeney was deployed to Afghanistan for his second deployment[3][4] as a scout sniper[5] to Nowzad,[2] Afghanistan.

On October 28, 2009, while on patrol duty, Sgt. Sweeney was injured when he stepped on an IED. The blast severed both his legs & caused injury to his left hand & arm. He had to wait 2 hours to be evacuated.[6]

Paralympic hockey career

In 2014, Sweeney joined Paralympic sled hockey team and lost 2–1 to the Russians.[7] Couple of days later, he scored the only goal with which his team won a gold medal in a final against the same country.[8] A native of Arizona, he is married and moved near Hillsboro, Oregon, in 2014.[9] He received a new specially adapted home from the Homes For Our Troops non-profit group in November 2014.[10]

References
  1. "Pat Tillman's legacy honored at the ESPYs". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-07-24.
  2. Angel Canales (July 24, 2013). "Wounded Marine Is a Rising Star in Sled Hockey". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  3. "Sled hockey's Josh Sweeney to receive inaugural Pat Tillman Award for Service". Team USA. Associated Press. June 25, 2014. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  4. "Josh Sweeney earns Tillman Award". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  5. Angel Canales (July 24, 2013). "Wounded Marine Is a Rising Star in Sled Hockey". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  6. Joanne C Gerstner (January 9, 2014). "After being injured in Afghanistan, Josh Sweeney finds solace on ice". Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  7. Rob Harris (March 11, 2014). "From war to Paralympics, US vets compete on ice". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  8. "Josh Sweeney leads USA to second straight sled hockey gold". IPC. March 15, 2014. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  9. Heerwagen, Art (April 6, 2014). "Skating into town". Hillsboro Tribune. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  10. Hammill, Luke (November 11, 2014). "Veterans Day: Injured Marine Sgt. Josh Sweeney receives free, wheelchair-accessible home from nonprofit". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
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