Meet Adaptive Athlete: Will Hoyum

 In 2012 Will deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne division. He worked vehicle recovery as a truck commander where he and his unit would go out to recover US Army vehicles and equipment that were hit by IEDs on patrol. 

On June 19, 2012, Will and his team had been on a 23 hour mission to run a crane out to a damaged vehicle when he and their convoy got hit by a daisy chain, a string of IED’s that detonate together. 3 trucks were all hit at once and the vehicle Will and his friend were driving had the entire front of the cab ripped off.

As soon as the blast happened, Will knew his back was broken. They flew 40 feet away from the convoy in the cab where they finally crashed down. Thankfully Will’s friend was safe but Will now had to be ex-filled.The blast left will with a T3 break and many fractured vertebrae and ribs.

Will now offers his help to the Adaptive Training Program coaching other athletes like himself, and helping edit and produce a podcast between founder David Vobora and athletes that have been through or are going through ATF’s 9-week program.