ATHELSTANE, Wis. (WFRV) – Rodney Johnson joined the military in 1979 to get out of his house at the age of 17, looking to do something different.
First serving as a medic in the National Guard, he later became an air defense missile crew member with the Army while being overseas in Germany.
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After he returned home from his service in 1986, his life underwent significant changes.
“All of those experiences helped shape me and shaped my mind to what it is now,” Johnson said. “Life experiences after the service help also, but you always have that core discipline inside, whether you listen to it or not.”
A car accident changed Rodney’s life. Carrying a duffel bag, he opted not to go to a local bar, instead walking to a coffee shop, before stopping at his girlfriend’s house.
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A driver coming from that same bar, who had too much to drink, hit Rodney, shattering his leg. Four years later, he developed a bone infection, requiring his right leg to be amputated.
Rodney loves riding his bike and playing different sports and outdoor activities. After the accident, he lost that passion.
Once he met with organizers of the National Wheelchair Games, he got to see how other veterans and other people in a similar physical state overcome their adversity.
“When I lost my leg, I used to play football and ride a bike. At the beginning, I used to play football, but as time went on, it became harder and I just wasn’t into it anymore,” Johnson said. “When I went to the wheelchair games, seeing these guys do it, I [realized I] could get off my butt and try it, and I did.”
Rodney got an invitation to take part in the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic in San Diego, taking part in different activities, including going surfing for the first time.
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“Surfing was one of the best things that I got to do, getting out in the salt water, learning what to look for in the waves,” Johnson said. “The first couple times I was lying down and I was like ‘this isn’t working for me,’ so when I sat up I was like ‘Cowabunga dude,’ that was a blast.”
Excited for the next steps in his future, Rodney is continuing to ride his bike, go to the gym, with the hopes of competing in the Paralympics one day.
