Josh grew up in the countryside of Sturgeon, a small town in central Missouri. It is a town with gravel roads, one grocery store and a population of less than 900. Without many friends living nearby, Josh spent most of his time in the woods exploring with his dog, fishing, riding 4-wheelers and horses. Coming from a family of prior service members, Josh knew his ticket out of town would come from an undying love for his country. Shortly after high school graduation in 2005, Josh enlisted in the Army as a Cavalry Scout and headed to Ft. Knox, KY for training.
After graduation, Josh was sent to Ft. Benning, GA for Airborne School then to a newly established Cavalry Squadron at Ft. Bragg, NC in the 82nd Airborne Division. Josh deployed to Afghanistan in January 2007. Josh was in a platoon of 15 scouts and was the .50 caliber machine gunner of the lead patrol vehicle. After many firefights and proving their efficiency, Josh’s platoon was selected for a special assignment and sent to a small patrol base south of Kabul called Camp Airborne.
Nights of indirect fire led the platoon to a nearby village for a reconnaissance patrol on October 14, 2007. Josh was in the turret of the truck manning the .50 caliber
machine gun when an IED was triggered under the front wheels of the Humvee, destroying the engine and causing a roadblock for the other vehicles. Multiple rocket propelled grenades (RPG) were fired. One pierced the side armor of Josh’s Humvee and struck him in the leg. While injured, he returned fire toward the enemy allowing his squad mates time to dismount and find cover. Josh was able to climb out of the turret before the vehicle became engulfed in flames and began crawling toward cover. While on the ground, he was shot multiple times before being taken to the evacuation point along with 12 others injured from his platoon. A few days later, Josh awoke in a hospital bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where he was informed of the amputation of his leg above the knee.
After a year of rehabilitation, Josh was ready to continue his life’s journey and relocated to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida. During his time in Orlando, he was introduced to organizations involved in improving the lives of wounded veterans, providing them with adaptive activities such as golf, scuba diving, hunting, fly fishing, and mentorship programs.
After five years in Florida, Josh decided to return to his roots and headed back to his hometown in Missouri where he lives in the country with his wife, Diana, and stepson Brooks Potter (8).
