Operation Rebound

True heroes who sustained our freedom

Grateful beneficiaries of those same true heroes

This past weekend my son, Jack, and I participated in a triathlon in our area.  Little did we know that we were in the midst of true triathlete heroes.

This year's race was dedicated to all those athletes who have served in the military and who now participate across this country in ironmans, triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks and whatever race is out there.

Many of these veterans both men and women who participate in the many races across this country are permanently and severely disabled from the wounds of war...both physical and psychological wounds.

As Jack's wave started his swim portion of the triathlon, I looked around him and saw two honored veterans who were double amputees. A man and a woman. As I marveled at their guts and strength as they hand-walked into the ocean, I wondered what had happened to them. (I later found out that both triathletes had their legs blown off by IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan.) Their visible courage quickly altered my ambition for a personal best. They changed me...forever.

One such veteran/triathlete was highlighted in the paper the following morning. His name: Retired Army Captain Alvin Shell, Jr.   Here is a piece of that article:

Alvin Shell, 35, once willingly ran through the fires of hell to save a fellow soldier in Iraq. "An 18 wheel truck got hit, spilling gas all over the road.  We went up to assist and we got ambushed. A lot of people caught fire.  I was close to the impact that it knocked me off the road, but when I came to and saw everybody on fire, I ran into the fire and grabbed one of my sargeants, rolled him around, kicked dirt on him and helped him out."  But Shell, covered in gasoline, caught fire himself and leaped into a ditch to extinguish the flames. Then he helped his platoon fight off their attackers. "I pretty much passed out and woke up 10 days later in a hospital with my wife and my Dad in the room."  Shell underwent 30 surgeries including painful skin grafts. He had to learn to do everything again...talk, walk, feed himself, brush teeth, use the bathroom. 

And what motivated him to move on and embrace life again?  His wife and their three young boys.   He wanted to be there for their kids.  So, he picked himself up and off the mat and said to himself "put up or shut up."

Shell finished this triathlon in style.  Not surprising. He runs 6 miles a day back home in Virginia. And, what do his sons think of him now? The oldest boy said, "My Dad is a huge inspiration for me and my brothers. He's mind-boggling."  Double gulp!!

There are as many reasons as there are athletes why we swim, and bike and run but the indomitable spirit of the Alvin Shells of this country provides in large measure what we need to continue to compete, participate and feel vital and grateful in this world.

Other vets competing that day were:

• Bryce Cole suffered brain injury as a paratrooper
• Daniel Mulverhill suffered brain injury and PTSD
• Justin Pullin suffered multiple burns from IED explosion
• Nathan Hunt lost both legs to a roadside bomb
• Leonard Day suffered traumatic brain injury from roadside bomb
• Joseph Kennedy run over by a military vehicle suffered multiple injuries

Thank you and may God bless Alvin and to all those who have served and are serving our country around the globe.