Believe In Yourself

"Believe in Yourself!" Born without legs, abandoned by his parents, and a migrant who fled Venezuela’s crisis, Alfonso Mendoza raps for a living, supports his family, surfs for fun and in his free time motivates othershttps://t.co/hod5HproYl
📷 Raul Arboleda pic.twitter.com/EjRXRT9Grz

— AFP news agency (@AFP) October 5, 2018

WNU Editor: I am always speechless when I read stories like this one.

The Salute That Moved Soldiers To Tears

The Salute That Moved Soldiers To Tears: Seriously Wounded Ranger Who Was Thought To Be Unconscious Defies Injuries To Raise His Arm As He Is Presented With The Purple Heart -- Daily Mail

* Josh Hargis was thought to be unconscious after undergoing surgery following severe injuries he sustained in an Afghan suicide bomb attack
* Four of his comrades were killed in the attack in Panjwai last week
* His commander held a Purple Heart ceremony at his bedside with 50 others and Hargis' mark of respect moved fellow soldiers to tears
* Image became an internet sensation after his wife shared it on Facebook

A seriously-wounded Army Ranger who was thought to be unconscious has shown an astonishing act of defiance by saluting his senior as he was presented with the Purple Heart in hospital.

John Hargis, from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been hailed an inspiration after his wife uploaded an image to Facebook showing him raising his arm to show respect for the higher-ranking officer.

The touching moment - which his commander called the single greatest event he has witnessed in his 10 years in the Army - came after Hargis underwent surgery in a military hospital in Afghanistan.

He had suffered serious leg injuries after a female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in Panjwai last week, killing four of Hargis' comrades. He was on his fourth tour of Afghanistan.

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Update: Army Ranger believed to be unconscious salutes during Purple Heart ceremony -- FOX News

My Comment: This is a tough soldier.

One For The Record Books

Faster Than the Speed Of Sound: Supersonic Skydiver Fearless Felix Hits Mach 1.24 In Terrifying Plummet To Earth From 128,000ft -- Daily Mail

* 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner completes astonishing 128,000-foot drop from the top of the stratosphere
* Breaks the speed of sound after traveling at mach 1.24
* Austrian daredevil had been planning the feat for five years
* Previous launches had been delayed due to wind
* One tiny error could have resulted in his blood boiling and his brain exploding

For more than four nerve- racking minutes, he was a tiny white speck against a dark sky, hurtling from 24 miles above the Earth at up to 729mph.

Then his parachute opened and five minutes later, to the relief of the millions watching, ‘Fearless Felix’ Baumgartner was back on solid ground – having made the highest and fastest skydive in history .

In the process, the 43-year-old Austrian became the first freefall diver to break the sound barrier, and also broke the record for the highest-ever manned balloon ascent.

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My Comment: Congrats to 'Fearless Felix' Baumgartner for accomplishing a truly amazing feat.

Update: A commemoration for another amazing feat (that was accomplished 65 years ago) was also done today.

True Grit

Ben Baltz, an 11-year-old boy who lost his leg to bone cancer, is carried across the finish line by Pfc. Matthew Morgan, a Marine stationed at Corry Station who was helping to supervise a children's triathlon in Pensacola, Fla., Oct. 7, 2012. (Courtesy of Kim Baltz)

Florida Cancer Survivor, 11, With Broken Prosthetic Crosses Finish Line on Back of Marine -- ABC News

Spectators at a children's triathlon in Florida were brought to tears by the sight of Marines carrying a little boy with a broken prosthetic leg across the finish line.

Bone cancer-survivor Ben Baltz, 11, was participating in his third triathlon of the summer when he had an accident with his prosthetic leg Sunday during the final portion of the race.

"The screws came loose and it fell off and the Marine picked me up and he ran the rest of the way," Ben said. "It was pretty nice."

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My Comment: More proof that a picture can have a thousand words to it.

An Inspirational Story Of True Grit

Hannah Campbell, the first mother to lose a limb after a bomb attack in Iraq in 2007, is planning to run the London marathon. Pictured here with her daughter Milly

'Losing My Leg Made Me A Mum': How Only Mother In Army To Lose Her Limb In War Zone Battled Through 19 Operations To Look After Her Beloved Little Girl -- Daily Mail

You might think having her leg shattered in an Iraqi mortar attack was bad enough.

But for Hannah Campbell, the only mother in the British Army to lose a limb in a war zone, it was just the start.

The blast buried Hannah and left her partially blinded in one eye and needing plastic surgery on wounds to her face.

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My Comment: We all need a reason to survive .... being a mum is certainly one of them.

A Story Of True Grit, Bravery, And Loyalty To His Fellow Soldiers

Battle Tested -- The Daily

Army's most seriously wounded commander returns to combat

The last time he went to war, Capt. D.J. Skelton lasted only a few weeks.

Minutes into his first major firefight outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah, the young Army officer was wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade. His face and body were mangled by shrapnel. One small metal shard caused the most damage: It tore through Skelton's right cheek, obliterated the roof of his mouth and exited through his left eye socket.

Six years have passed since that night in November 2004, on the eve of Operation Phantom Fury, the bloodiest battle of the Iraq war. But after more than 60 surgeries, Skelton is back on the battlefield, this time in Afghanistan, where he is believed to be the Army's most badly wounded soldier who has returned to command troops in combat.

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My Comment: I am speechless.

The Incredible And Inspirational Life Of An Olympic Athlete And WW II Hero

Mr. Zamperini, in his bomber jacket. Sally Peterson for The Wall Street Journal

The Defiant Ones -- Wall Street Journal

In her new book, the author of 'Seabiscuit' turns to the unimaginable ordeal of an Olympic athlete and WW II hero. Because of her own debilitating illness, they struck a special bond.

With a fringe of white hair poking out from under a University of Southern California baseball cap and blue eyes sharp behind bifocals, 93-year-old Louis Zamperini refuses to concede much to old age. He still works a couple of hours each day in the yard of his Hollywood Hills home, bagging leaves, climbing stairs and, on occasion, trimming trees with a chainsaw. His outlook is upbeat, even rambunctious. "I have a cheerful countenance at all times," he says. "When you have a good attitude your immune system is fortified." But as he plunged into "Unbroken," Laura Hillenbrand's 496-page story of his life, the happy trappings of his current existence fell away.

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My Comment: A true symbol of America's Greatest Generation

Airman Aims To Serve Despite Loss Of Legs

Airman 1st Class Colton Read with his wife, Jessica.
Photo from Jessica Read

From Air Force Times:

Airman 1st Class Colton Read is back in his home state of Texas, ready to learn to walk again so he can stay blue.

Read believes he will once again stand tall in uniform despite losing both his legs after a botched gallbladder surgery. His family and friends believe it too.

“Of course he is going to have some struggles, but from the bottom of my heart, I believe he will be able to walk on both legs again,” said Steve Read, the airman’s father.

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My Comment: This is the definition of dedication and commitment.