Three members of the United States’ Parapan Games athletics team all served their country in Iraq, and all three suffered severe, permanent injuries.

Kortney Clemons is now a top competitor in the 100 meters and long jump after losing his right leg above the knee in an explosion while serving as a combat medic in the U.S. Army.

Carlos Leon will compete in the shot put and discus in Guadalajara, just six years after breaking his neck in a diving accident immediately following his return home from Iraq, where he served an entire year as a marine in the Sunni triangle.

And Scott Winkler has also built a name for himself in the shot put and discus, eight years after becoming paralyzed after falling off an ammo truck in Tikrit, Iraq.

Clemons, Leon and Winkler all take part in public speaking engagements to share their stories and inspire others, and all three star in the film, “Warrior Champions,” which tells the emotional story of wounded U.S. soldiers who are turning the nightmares of war into Paralympic dreams.   “Amped,” Clemons’ account of his recovery from his wound and his drive to become the first Iraq veteran to win Paralympic gold,  is one of the most inspiring and compelling stories in the history of sports.