Joshua Sweeney
American sledge hockey player (born 1987)
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Joshua Sweeney (born June 6, 1987) is an American gold medal ice sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient who competed in 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.
United StatesSweeney in 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joshua Sweeney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | June 6, 1987 Williams AFB, Arizona, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Ironwood High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United States of America | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service years | 2005–2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank |  Sergeant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conflicts | Global War on Terrorism | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards |  Purple Heart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Sweeney's passion for hockey began at an early age, as he played ice hockey during middle school & competed in his high school team.[2] A graduate of Ironwood High School's class of 2005, he shortly enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Military life
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In September 2009, Sergeant Sweeney was deployed to Afghanistan for his second deployment[3][4] as a scout sniper[5] to Nowzad,[2] Afghanistan.
On October 28, 2009, while on patrol duty, Sgt. Sweeney was injured when he stepped on an IED. The blast severed both his legs & caused injury to his left hand & arm. He had to wait 2 hours to be evacuated.[6]
Paralympic career
In 2014, Sweeney joined Paralympic sled hockey team and lost 2–1 to the Russians.[7] Couple of days later, he scored the only goal with which his team won a gold medal in a final against the same country.[8] In 2022, Sweeney competed in Beijing in Para-nordic skiing making him a two-time Paralympian. A native of Arizona, he lives in Nampa, Idaho.[9]