Soldier who lost leg blazes 'legendary trail' as competitive marksman

Soldier who lost leg blazes 'legendary trail' as competitive marksman
By MATTHEW M. BURKE
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 10, 2012

Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Olson lost his right leg in Iraq, but not his fight.

Since recovering from the potentially career-ending war wound nine years ago, Olson has thrived as a shooting instructor and competitive marksman.

This year, he became the first active-duty, combat-wounded soldier nominated for the U.S. Paralympic Team and will become the first to compete in a Paralympic games, which begin in late August in London.

The 32-year-old has placed in about 20 international marksmanship competitions in recent years, winning gold at the French Grand Prix and the Alicante Cup in Spain in 2009.

Most importantly, Olson has shown that wounded soldiers can continue to serve.

Thanks in part to his success as a competitive rifle shooter and instructor for the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, the Army is creating two new sections for 24 wounded soldiers known as the Marksmanship Instructor Group and Paralympic Section.
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