OEF OIF Amputee Marine wins in race car

Marine whose leg was blasted drives to victory
By The Associated Press
PETE IACOBELLI (AP Sports Writer)
Originally published: May 24, 2014

Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer always knew that despite losing much of his left leg in combat he could win races if he got the chance.

That came Saturday when Dwyer teamed with Tom Long to win the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge event at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.

"Saying I'm excited is a major understatement," Dwyer told The Associated Press by phone shortly after the victory. "I am ecstatic about this."

Dwyer drove the first 22 laps and was 25th in the 32-car field before turning the No. 27 Mazda MX-5 over to Long for the rest of the way. Long took the lead for good five laps from the end and went on to a nearly 20-second victory.

Dwyer served with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was injured in Iraq in 2007 when he took shrapnel on the left side of his body while a turret gunner of a Humvee that was hit by a roadside bomb.

Dwyer recovered and returned to civilian life when a major he had worked with asked him to join a special team headed to Afghanistan. Dwyer re-enlisted and was searching a compound in Sangin Province when he stepped on an explosive that sheared off his left leg above the knee.
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