Wounded Veteran Shares Journey of Strength, Joy at 'Celebrate Johnston' Event

Retired 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell is a hero by every definition.

She lost her left leg while stationed in Iraq.

She's persevered through recovery to compete at the Paralympics and in several Paratriathlon World Championships, winning two championships.

She's dedicated her life to working to fit other amputees with prosthetics.

And she spends her free time traveling to tell her story of courage, community and patriotism.

Stockwell was the perfect person to kick off the first Celebrate Johnston event on Wednesday evening at Johnston Middle School in front of more than 200 community members and students.

The new community initiative, Celebrate Johnston, strives to satisfy the needs of youths by creating a network of support for the youth and families in Johnston.

"We'll hear the word community a lot tonight," said Shari Walling, a Celebrate Johnston committee member. "We need to celebrate all the positive things that happen here. We want to make this the most positive place in the state of Iowa."

For more than an hour, Stockwell recounted her journey from childhood to proud service member to para-athlete.

"I was born a patriot," she said. "I was born loving this country."

As an adolescent, Stockwell was a passionate gymnast with a dream of competing in the Olympics.

When that dream didn't come to fruition, she followed another dream, to serve her country.

"I always wanted to be in the military," she said of joining the ROTC as a sophomore at the University of Colorado. "When I put on that uniform, I knew I was where I was supposed to be."

On September 11, 2001, Stockwell, dressed in her uniform, watched the news unfold from New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania with other students.

"I remember hearing it wasn't a matter of if we'd be deployed, but when," she said.

After a stint at Fort Hood in Texas, Stockwell was deployed to Iraq in early 2004 as a platoon leader and convoy commander.

"I was slated to be there for one year," she said.

But her stay would be much shorter.

After a few weeks of drills in Kuwait, Stockwell worked another three weeks helping to transport supplies in Iraq.

After three weeks, she was to spend one day learning another transportation route to take over for the next three weeks.

That day, April 13, 2004, was the last day she would stand on her own two legs.

After about ten minutes of driving, the convoy began to swerve under an underpass, a technique to not be hit from above by people dropping items.

"Then I heard a big boom," she recalled.

The Humvee she was riding in swerved and hit a guardrail. After, she noticed blood on her leg. A combat medic pulled her out and wrapped a tourniquet on her leg.

"On the sand in Iraq I thought, 'What's going to happen to me?'," Stockwell recalled.

From there she was transported to a hospital in the Green Zone of Baghdad, then to Germany and finally to Walter Reed Medical Center.

"I was showed a picture of the vehicle, with my blood on the ground," she said. "It shows where I came from and and where I am now."

Seeing other wounded soldiers, many who had lost more than she, Stockwell decided to live her life for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

She received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star when she retired.

The worst part of her stay at Walter Reed was waiting to get better, to walk again.

But one thing that helped pass the time was visits from politicians and celebrities.

"My favorites were Tom Hanks and the Osbournes (Ozzy and Sharon)," she said. "Tom Hanks was very genuine. What do I say about the Osbournes, Sharon sat on the bed and Ozzy wandered around the room. It really helped pass the time, it was always an adventure."

Three months after arriving at Walter Reed, Stockwell started physical therapy to walk again.

"I knew something was missing," she said. "I was always active in sports. I was lucky to have organizations that work to get soldiers out."

Shortly after, Stockwell finished the New York Marathon on a hand-cranked bicycle. After that she went on a skiing trip to Breckenridge, CO, with the help of the Wounded Warrior Project.

"If I could do that, I could do anything," she said.

When a man came to Walter Reed to talk about the Paralympics, Stockwell's dream of being an Olympian was reborn.

"It was almost a second chance, I could represent my country in a different way," she said.

Stockwell's new goal was to make it to the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008.

After much training, between her schooling to fit prosthetics, Stockwell reached the Paralympic trials in April 2008, four years after losing her leg.

"It's very competitive, some of these women were born that way, and had been swimming a long time," she said. "But I had the meet of my life. It just shows that if you have a goal, a dream, you can really achieve it, hard work pays off."

That summer, Stockwell would swim in the same pool in Beijing that Michael Phelps did, only a few weeks later. However, Stockwell only came home with a participation medal.

"That whole journey, I couldn't be prouder," she said. "I learned a real important lesson, the journey to get to a place is more important than a medal."

Stockwell was nominated to carry the United States flag during the closing ceremonies - an honor usually reserved for an athlete who received several medals.

In the years since, Stockwell has taken to sprint paratriathlons competing in three World Championships.

Most recently in New Zealand three weeks ago, she crossed the finish line with an American flag on her shoulders.

"We all have stories of our lives," she said. "I'm a proud American. I hope you all have a chance to tell your story and that you would be proud. Live a life where you're proud of yourself."

Today, Stockwell spends time at her home in Chicago, working to fit prosthetics and preparing for her next competition.

She also serves on the board for the Wounded Warriors Project and helps with the Challenge Athlete Foundation. She can also be seen in the documentary "Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing".

Stockwell embodies everything that is Celebrate Johnston. She views the world with positivity, joy and enthusiasm, the evening’s program said.

Eighth-grade students Biz Foutch and Hannah Lee were on hand not only for the presentation, but to hand out fliers for Celebrate Johnston.

"I think this helps a lot of kids not to give up on their dreams," Hannah said. "It's very inspiring."

Biz said Stockwell's story makes you look forward to what is out there, what you can get out of life.