Sgt Joshua Sweeney

Hillsboro, OR

Marine Sergeant Josh Sweeney was on his 2nd deployment when he lost both of his legs and suffered severe arm injuries after a bomb exploded beneath him in NowZad, Afghanistan on October 28, 2009. Lifesaving measures were administered to Sgt. Sweeney as he waited for two hours for his medical transport to carry him from the blast site. His left leg traumatically amputated and his right leg shredded from the explosion, Sgt. Sweeney had no idea that his delayed evacuation was due to the fact that the two MEDEVAC vehicles sent to rescue him had both hit IED’s en-route. Once loaded on his transport vehicle, with mortar rounds landing nearby, he was placed in a medically induced coma and did not learn until later that this convoy of vehicles suffered another IED blast on the way to the flight line where he was airlifted to Camp Leatherneck. Airlifted first to Landstuhl, Germany, Sgt. Sweeney was later transferred to Bethesda National Naval Medical Center in Maryland in November 2009 and finally to Brooke Army Medical Hospital in San Antonio, in February 2011. Having endured more than a dozen surgeries, Josh continues his treatments in San Antonio as an out-patient at this time.
Sgt. Sweeney plays sled hockey on the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. He enjoys working-out at the gym and playing recreational wheelchair basketball. He and his wife, Amber hope to have children in the future and are looking forward to raising their family in Oregon. With plans to enroll in college and pursue a degree in Engineering, Josh would also like to start a sled hockey program in Oregon.
When asked what living in a specially adapted home would mean to him Sgt. Sweeney shared the following; “Living in a regular apartment presents many challenges that frustrate me on a daily basis. With a home, specially-adapted to meet my needs, I know my life will immediately become less stressful and I will feel more capable of doing the things I want to do in my own home. Receiving a gift of this magnitude is something I could never have asked for or even imagined. Receiving this house will lift a huge weight from me…knowing that my family will always have a place to lay their heads and a place to call home will be incredible. Thank you”