Meet Adaptive Athlete: Justin Ewing

Justin grew up in Plano, Texas, where sports played a major role in his life from an early age. He competed in football, basketball, baseball, and track, viewing athletics as a way to test his physical limits and mental discipline. With both of his brothers going on to become college athletes, competition and performance were a big part of his life. In 2010, at age 23, Justin enlisted in the Army as an 11B Infantryman and later graduated from Airborne School. He was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, and deployed to Afghanistan in July 2012.

 

During that deployment, Justin lost two close teammates within the first two months - one killed during a mission, the other shot beside him during an ambush. Two months later, while searching for a missing Platoon Leader during a night mission, Justin fell nearly 50 feet into a dried well. While being extracted, the harness failed, and he fell a second time. He woke up a week later in San Antonio with a long list of injuries, including a burst L1 vertebra, facial fractures, a traumatic brain injury, a broken scapula, and compound fractures. He spent months recovering from multiple surgeries and dropped 50 pounds during initial recovery. Though he hoped to stay in the Army, he was medically retired in 2014 after nearly two years of rehabilitation. After transitioning out of the military, Justin earned a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Methodist University with a double major in Human Rights and Psychology.

 

During his ReDefine experience, Justin wants to give his best effort every day and work to rebuild his strength and mobility. He also wants to gain more confidence and strengthen his mindset to be able to handle whatever challenges life might throw at him.