DAV's 2016 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year - Bobby Body
Channel: Disabled American Veterans
Date: 2016-07-31

DAV has named Bobby Body, a combat-injured, single-amputee veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as its 2016 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year.  

Body, an Army Airborne infantryman, was injured in February 2006 by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. The explosion severely injured his left side and lead to his evacuation back to the states, where he would later be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After being medically retired from the Army in 2009, and undergoing numerous surgeries, Body’s left leg was ultimately amputated above the knee in 2013.

While recovering from his amputation at the Ann Arbor Veterans Healthcare System’s amputee rehabilitation clinic, Body saw how long and arduous recovery could be, often lasting months. It was a timeline he did not want to endure. Through his positive attitude and can-do spirit, Body walked out of the clinic in less than seven weeks. Doctors and therapists at the Ann Arbor VA took notice of Body’s unique mental and physical abilities during his recovery and recruited him to become a counselor to other veterans who either had PTSD or recent amputations.

Through his own recovery, Body propelled himself into the world of powerlifting to help him deal with the psychological and physiological effects that often spiral individuals to hit rock bottom. Just months after becoming involved in the sport, Body won a gold medal in his weight class in his first appearance at the U.S. Nationals for the American Powerlifting Federation, an affiliate of the World Powerlifting Congress (WPC). He also placed first in his age group at the 2015 WPC World Championships in Portugal, and followed that up by bringing home two more gold medals – one in his age division and another in an open-age division – and breaking a national record in his age group by using his 5-foot-8-inch, 178-pound frame to lift 424.39 pounds. 

https://youtu.be/mQbST412f5g