Iraq War Veteran Melissa Stockwell Keeps Soldiering On For Team USA

If you know anything about Melissa Stockwell the Paralympian, it’s that she continues to serve the United States nearly two decades after her military duty concluded.

The 42-year-old Army veteran took up first swimming and then triathlons, both at the most elite level, after losing her left leg to a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq. When the retired U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division first lieutenant (2005) came home after service, immediately after her recovery she got involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, while also serving of its board from 2004-2015.

And since competing as a Team USA triathlete in last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, Stockwell has announced that she is doing it again for her country.

“There have been some pretty epic finish lines so far this year but I’ve got one more to go,” Stockwell announced in late October, via Instagram. “A month from today I will be in Abu Dhabi with my @usaparatriathlon teammates crossing the line at the Paratriathlon world championships.”

Stockwell added that after the Paratriathlon World Championships, which takes place the last week of November 2022, she aims to tryout again for the next 2024 Paralympic Games, in Paris.

“Another race on the path towards giving the 2024 @paralympics in Paris a shot. I will only be 44 so why not, right?” she also said on the same Instagram post.

VIDEO: Melissa Stockwell on challenges and triumphs

Prior to the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Stockwell was also at Rio de Janeiro 2016, where she snagged a bronze medal for Team USA as a triathlete. She’s also medaled five times in the Tri 2 event at the ITU Triathlon World Championships, including three consecutive gold medals in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

To honor Veterans Day, Stockwell has recently been enlisted by ChapStick for their efforts to support American heroes. As a part of the partnership, Stockwell is talking up the needs of and support for veterans, while ChapStick has produced a limited-edition American Flag stick to raise funds to help America’s service people. For each unit sold, the mega-brand will donate a stick to Operation Gratitude, an organization that assembles and dispatches care packages to active-duty U.S. armed services professionals and first responders.

This week I connected once again with Melissa Stockwell, who spoke about her time serving the USA, and her preparation for the Paratriathlon World Championships.

Andy Frye: You've accomplished a lot as an athlete since your service ended. How does your Army service prepare you for your athletic pursuits?

Melissa Stockwell: The Army teaches values that can carry over into all aspects of life, especially as an athlete. It taught me discipline, the power of a team, wanting to part of something bigger than myself and simple things like being on time and giving my all. I loved wearing the military uniform and now I get to wear a similar, yet different uniform, representing my country on the worlds stage. It doesn’t get much better than that!

AF: Americans salute vets on Veterans Day because of their service to our country. But as a veteran, what (and what else) does Veterans Day mean to you?

Stockwell: I think it’s a day to reflect on all the things that Veterans have sacrificed for. A day to be thankful for freedoms we have that are often taken for granted. The military obviously forever holds a special place in my heart, and it makes me so happy to see others supporting or reflecting, as well. One of my favorite brands, ChapStick, continues to champion and support the community. Additionally, they have committed monetary donations to Operation Gratitude, which will help fill and ship care packages to American heroes!

AF: You made a switch originally from swimming to running and triathlons. Was it more the challenge or the variety that made you evolve as an athlete?

Stockwell: I think both. I loved the challenge of all three sports, and I loved that I didn’t I didn’t have to just do one. Training and racing in three sports keeps things interesting and helps keep things interesting year after year.

AF: Right before last year's Paralympics, you had a bike accident. How did you recover so quickly, and did it impact you in Tokyo?

Stockwell: Eight weeks before I was on the starting line in Tokyo, I had a bike accident where I hit a tree and fractured three vertebrae in my back. In order to heal I had to rest, which was the last thing I wanted to do just weeks before a race I trained five years for. It wasn’t ideal and it impacted my race in Tokyo as I wasn’t able to train appropriately and wasn’t able to run again until days before the big race. But I chose to keep a positive outlook knowing that my injury could have been much worse. I chose to just be happy to be there in Tokyo and can honestly say I was the happiest 5th place finisher there

AF: So the Paratriathlon World Championship is next for you. What do you do to get ready—and win?

Stockwell: All the athletes at a world championship have trained hard and are ready to give it their all for a spot on the podium. I do my best to manage my training, being a mom and traveling for work as best I can. At the starting line it’s always a question on if the training you did was enough, but I always do my best and hope my best gets me onto that podium!