HEATH CALHOUN: ONE FATHER’S STORY
by Pamela Magrans
Clarksville Family Magazine – June 2010
This month we celebrate fathers. We celebrate the fathers and grandfathers who paved the way for generations to follow. We honor grandfathers in our past that built roads, bridges and countries. We celebrate fathers of the present who build homes and memories. We celebrate future fathers who whisper lullabies to unborn babies and who give toddling youngsters a target of open arms. We celebrate all the fathers who set examples that the rest of us want to follow—fathers who inspire us all to be stronger better people, both in public and private ways.
It is a fitting time to show our gratitude to one father and soldier; someone who, like so many others in our community, has faced challenges and overcome obstacles to be the father that sons and daughters need and communities admire.
As we celebrate Father’s Day, this month we are honoring one father in our community— Heath Calhoun. He and his family appear on the cover this month photographed by David Barbee at the Clarksville Greenway near the Kenwood Complex. Heath, Tiffany and children, Mason, Brystal and Bailee were kind enough to celebrate Mother’s Day at the photo shoot last month.
Now as we celebrate Father’s Day this month, their story reminds us of all the reasons to be thankful for our soldiers, our fathers and our blessings.
The unexpected…
At an early age, Heath decided that he wanted to follow his grandfather and father’s tradition by serving in the military. After graduating from Grundy High School, he attended college and received his Associate’s Degree. Then he took the next step in his life and enlisted in the U.S. Army.
He met his future wife, Tiffany, when he was stationed at Ft. Campbell. Tiffany, a graduate of Clarksville High School, met Heath in Nashville. They soon married and became parents when their first child, Mason, was born. When Mason was a baby in 2003, Heath deployed to Iraq.
While in Iraq, a rocket- propelled grenade hit his Humvee. The accident killed a fellow solider and left Heath fighting for his life and facing amputation of both his legs above the knee. Heath spent the next nine months recovering from the amputation at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Eventually he was fitted with prosthetic legs. Learning to walk on the prosthetic legs did not come easy, but with time and encouragement eventually Heath learned to use the prosthetics effectively.
Redefining athletics…
Heath had always been competitive and athletic, so he already possessed the type of attitude necessary for competitive sports. However, he turned his vigor towards some new sporting venues. Encouraged by some fellow soldiers, he attended the Winter Sports Clinic in Aspen, Colorado and began skiing with a mono-ski.
He quickly developed a passion for skiing and his skill level continued to increase. He eventually earned a place on the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team and competed in the 2010 Winter Games this past March in Vancouver. At age 30, as a bilateral above the knee amputee, Heath placed 8th in the world for the Super–G and 10th in the world for the Super Combined alpine skiing event.
Heath did not let anything stop him. In addition to skiing, he has pursued cycling, running, golfing, hiking and swimming. His physical stamina and perseverance is evident by the active lifestyle he maintains and the continued positive attitude he possesses. Just do a search on www. youtube.com for Heath Calhoun to see more about his inspiring accomplishments.
In 2005, he set out with two other men on an awareness bike ride across the United States. He rode a hand cycle from Los Angles the entire 4,200 miles to New York. Since then, Heath, with two prosthetic legs, has accomplished more physically than most people accomplish their entire lives using the legs they were born with.
Helping others…
He set an example for other wounded soldiers and soon he was working as a spokesperson for the Wounded Warrior Project. One of his proudest accomplishments is his advocacy work towards the Wounded Warrior Bill that passed Congress in 2005. The bill, known as Traumatic Injury Protection, provides financial assistance for wounded soldiers and their families as they undergo the process of rehabilitation.
Heath and his wife, Tiffany, both work for the Wounded Warrior Project
and actively continue to help other families who deal with the struggles that they had to overcome. Heath and Tiffany attribute much of their success to their families and the outpouring of community help immediately following Heath’s accident. They had a strong extended family that provided support. “There are a lot of wounded warriors who don’t have support and help,” said Tiffany. This is what motivates Heath and Tiffany to continue their work with the Wounded Warrior Project—to lend a hand to others who might not have support to overcome the challenges alone.
After all the work they have both done with the Wounded Warrior Project to help other soldiers and their families recover from traumatic physical injuries, now Tiffany and Heath are on the receiving end of goodwill, as they prepare to move into a new home. The new home is being supplied by Homes for our Troops, a non-profit organization that helps supply severely injured veterans with homes conducive to the veteran’s needs. The program is funded through donations and provides the home at no cost to the veteran.
Heath and Tiffany hope to be in their home by the end of the summer. To learn more about this program or to make a donation visit www.homesforourtroops.org.
Large and small victories…
In the past three months, Heath has met the President and First Lady in Washington, D.C. He carried the majestic U.S. flag for the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games. In May he had a NASCAR race named after him, the Crown Royal presents the HEATH CALHOUN 400, held at the Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.
But after all those events were finished, he returned home to Clarksville.
Now Heath and Tiffany enjoy all the blessings of parenthood—soccer games and practices, school functions and local outings. During soccer season they can often be seen at the Kenwood Complex soccer fields cheering on their son. Sometimes Heath can be seen at the YMCA.
Sometimes they can be seen at East Montgomery Elementary
School where Mason attends school. In the fall, Tiffany will be among the teary- eyed moms dropping off her daughter for the first day of kindergarten.
Over the past years, Heath has traveled a lot, working with the Wounded Warrior Project and training for the Winter Paralympics. Heath is looking forward to spending more time with his kids, but always wants to encourage his children to try new things. “I’d like to see our kids have something they really want to do and go for it,” said Heath. “That first step is more than 50% of getting there,” he said.
For inspiration his kids don’t have to look far. “They have Heath to look up to,” said Tiffany. “Everything Heath has ever wanted to do—he’s done.”
At first glance, the Calhoun family might look like any other Clarksville family, but it doesn’t take long to realize they are more than that— they are an inspiration to our community, a testimony of perseverance and hard work, and a reminder that community and family play a vital role in making families great.
Heath is not defined by what happened to his legs that day in Iraq. He is clearly defined by what he is doing today—by the mountains that he climbs, the three children who hold his hand, and the many other wounded warriors who have found inspiration and hope in his story.
This Father’s Day may we all learn a lesson from the Calhoun family—for there are many.
