Our friends Pat and Ryan at TakePride.com had a genius idea to marry hip urban fashion with patriotic themes. The result is a very cool t-shirt line that not only celebrates the American soldier but donates up to 20% of profits to the Wounded Warrior Project. www.TakePride.com
TakePride.com's latest project features another friend of ours, US Paralympic Swimmer Melissa Stockwell. On April 13, 2004, Melissa Stockwell lost virtually her entire left leg to an Iraqi roadside bomb attack. She was only 23 and the first female US soldier amputee of the war. No one would have blamed her if she was angry and lashed out at everyone insight: the President, Iraqis, two-legged American civilians who’ have largely sacrificed nothing during the wars, at the unfairness of life itself. Instead, Melissa did the exact opposite. She loved more deeply; she lived more fully; and dedicated herself more completely to the service of others. Since losing her leg Melissa has completed 8 triathlons and 2 NYC marathons; set 3 US Paralympic swimming records [remarkably without any real pre-injury swimming experience]; become a prosthetist and plans to devote her life to helping other amputees; and this summer she will again proudly wear the uniform of the USA as she competes for Gold in the Beijing Paralympics. In a culture of “me,” she is a living tribute to the virtue of being inspired by, as well as being an inspiration for others. This shirt relays her experience in her own words. It's a story every American should hear.
Support the American Soldier, the Paralympics, and TakePride.com. We will be in Beijing with Melissa as she goes for Gold in Beijing this September. Follow Melissa's progress and the rest of the Paralympic athletes at http://paralympics.teamusa.org/
