Marine Corps Veteran Aiming for Third Gold in Paralympic Winter Games

Travis Dodson will compete in his third winter games in March. (Team USA) Military.com | By Kevin Damask Published March 04, 2026 at 3:00am ET Marine Corps veteran Travis Dodson’s life changed in a flash – literally – when a grenade exploded in Iraq, killing his battle buddy and severing both his legs. 

As an athlete, Dodson struggled to adapt to life as a disabled veteran, until he found a new passion, sled hockey. Dodson dove into mastering the sport, earned a spot on the Team USA paralympic sled hockey team and became a two-time gold medalist. 

With the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games set to begin in Milan, Italy, on March 6, Dodson hopes to lead a powerful American squad back to a third-consecutive gold medal, after claiming the top spot in 2018 and 2022. 

In recent years, Dodson, from Deming, New Mexico, has used his platform as a decorated military veteran and paralympic athlete to promote adaptive sports across the U.S. 

After becoming a double amputee, Dodson tried different adaptive sports while attending the University of Illinois. He became good enough to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Games, competing in cross-country skiing and the biathlon. But at age 29, he decided to give para ice hockey a try and soon fell in love with the sport. 

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Source: Military.com
Website: www.military.com