Joshua Sweeney

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.

Josh Sweeney

Sweeney in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Joshua Sweeney
Nationality	United States
Born	(1987-06-06) June 6, 1987 (age 38) Williams AFB, Arizona, U.S.
Education	Ironwood High School
Military career
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	2005–2010
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	3rd Battalion, 4th Marines[1]
Battles / wars	Global War on Terrorism Iraq War Operation Enduring Freedom War in Afghanistan
Awards	Purple Heart
Medal record Para ice hockey Representing  United States Paralympic Games 2014 Sochi Team competition World Championships 2012 Hamar Team competition 2015 Buffalo Team competition 2013 Goyang Team competition

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

Sweeney (right) speaks with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at a 2010 meeting with wounded warriors

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]