Iraq Amputee Becomes Paralympics Athlete

Iraq Amputee Becomes Paralympics Athlete
Melissa Stockwell Is the First Iraq Veteran to Qualify for the Paralympics in Beijing
April 18, 2008



When Melissa Stockwell heard she had broken an American record a few weeks ago in the 400-meter freestyle event, it didn't seem real.
Army Lt. Melissa Stockwell will represent the U.S. at the Olympics.

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"I looked up at the clock, and I couldn't believe it was my time," she told ABC's Bob Woodruff. "To hear my name and the American record in the same sentence was really cool."

Stockwell's achievement qualified her to compete on the U.S. team at the Paralympics in Beijing this summer and represents a personal milestone -- not only did she shave 17 seconds off her time to qualify, her feat signifies just how far she's come in the last four years.

First Iraq Amputee Vet Included In Beijing Paralympics

First Iraq Amputee Vet Included In Beijing Paralympics
April 7, 2008 10:47 p.m. EST



Isabelle Duerme - AHN News Writer
San Diego, Calif. (AHN) - A female war veteran finds herself in the record book as the first war veteran to qualify for the upcoming Beijing Paralymics

Mary Stockwell, an amputee who lost her left leg from a roadside bomb in Baghdad, is part of a team of 18 women forming the U.S. Swim Team which will compete in Beijing.

Also in USA Today

Wounded Vet Again Tackles Basic Training

Wounded Vet Again Tackles Basic Training


By Amy ShipleyWashington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 21, 2008; Page A01
COLORADO SPRINGS -- Melissa Stockwell bobbed in the water at one end of the pool at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, peering through swimming goggles at her coach, Jimmy Flowers, on the pool deck. The day's first training session was under way, and Flowers called for a kicking drill.