Amputee Soldier to Compete in Boston Marathon

Amputee Soldier to Compete in Boston Marathon
American Forces Press Service
April 15, 2005

WASHINGTON - A soldier will compete in the Boston Marathon April 18, a year to the day after an improvised explosive device blast in Baghdad, Iraq, cost him his right leg.

Army Staff Sgt. Hilbert Caesar will hand-crank his custom sports wheelchairs in the annual race. A former member of the 4th Battalion, 27th Infantry, from Baumholder, Germany, Caesar was the first soldier to cross the finish line in the New York City Marathon in November. In a field of 83 hand-crank bicyclists, Caesar finished in 17th place, with a time of 1 hour, 53 minutes.

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