Kortney Clemons (born June 23, 1980)Iraq war vet outruns tragedy, regains athletic drive, USA Today, November 20, 2006 is an American Paralympic athlete and Iraq War Veteran.Kortney Clemons , Hire Heroes USA
He is featured in the 2009 documentary Warrior Champions about American soldiers who lost limbs or suffered paralysis in Iraq, and their way to the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
Early life
Clemons went to high school in Little Rock, Mississippi. He played football, basketball and baseball.
He played junior college football as a cornerback at East Mississippi Community College before he joined the army.Wounded veteran Kortney Clemons takes on Oscar Pistorius at the Paralympic World Cup, The Telegraph, May 23, 2009
Military service Clemons is a Purple Heart recipient. He served in the United States Army from 2001 to 2006.House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs - Statement of Sergeant Kortney Clemons, USA (Ret.) , veterans.house.gov
He was working as a combat medic in the 1st Cavalry Division.
Clemons lost his leg in Baghdad, Iraq on February 21, 2005, when he and other soldiers were helping a group of soldiers whose car had hit gravel and tipped over. As they were helping, a roadside bomb exploded, and wounded some and killed others. In the first years since this happened, Clemons has worn a bracelet with the name of three soldiers who lost their lives; 1st Lt. Jason Timmerman, Staff Sgt. David Day and Sgt. Jesse Lhotka.Kortney Clemons: A soldier's story of amputation, haitiamputees.msnbc.msn.com, March 19, 2010
Paralympic career Clemons attended a clinic held by U.S. Paralympics at Brooke Army Medical Center in 2005, and then a Military Sports Camp, which was when he started track and field training. He first started competing in power lifting, but chose to commit to track and field in 2007.
He is the first Iraq war Veteran to have qualified for the U.S. Paralympic team., USA Today, November 21, 2006
He tried to qualify for the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing,Iraq war amputee seeks success on track , nbcsports.msnbc.com, 2006 but did not make the cut.Wounded veterans fill Paralympic ranks, universalsports.com This is featured in the 2009 documentary Warrior Champions.Warrior Champions: Behind the scenes with Craig Renaud, U.S. Paralympics, November 10, 2009 He is now focusing on the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.Clemons' Road to London goes straight through Iraq, U.S. Paralympics, November 10, 2009
Currently, he is on the roster to compete for the U.S. in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
National championships He won the 100m (T42) at the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, Tempe, Ariz, in 2008.
Education He attended Penn State University and participated in their Ability Athlete program.
Bibliography
Filmography Warrior Champions: From Baghdad to Beijing, a documentary film by directors Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud.Warrior Champions , Austin Film Festival
References
External links
Kortney Clemons - Profile at the official website of the U.S. Paralympic Team Kortney Clemons: A Paralympian Story on YouTube Kortney Clemons interview NBC News on YouTube Warrior Champions, the official site of the documentary