CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — It was Nov. 9, 2010 that changed Zach Stinson's life.
During his first and only tour in Afghanistan in 2010, Stinson is lucky to be alive after stepping on an IED.
“I jumped the wall and took a few steps and boom," he recalled. "From there, I kind of landed with my head in the dirt and bent in half. I didn’t lose consciousness. I said a prayer and told my team leaders to tell my wife I love her because I didn’t think I was coming home.”
The Chambersburg native entered the unknown, not knowing if he was going to live or die.
However, through persistence and determination, he's been able to turn his tragedy into an inspirational story.
“I learned really quickly that the world is going to keep spinning and you just have to keep moving with it and it’s worked pretty well for me, so far," he said.
It wasn't an easy road to come back home. Stinson had 25 surgeries before starting a long rehabilitation process, but two years after his near death experience, he was out to find his purpose after the Marine Corp.
He competed in his first Marine Corp Marathon in handcycle, then took some time between before picking up training again in 2018.
Stinson has since competed around the world in multiple triathlons. He won the 2023 Boston Marathon, but not without battling a few obstacles.
“I was two miles in and I had a big chain issue. I had to jump off my bike to fix it. I went into this pitstop, in second. I was running with a group of about five guys and when I came out of it, I was in eleventh. I just kept pushing," he explained. "I would see someone far, far ahead of me, on a hill or something. Then, I said I had to catch that person and before I knew it, I actually caught the lead guy on heartbreak hill. I didn’t have a mirror, so I couldn’t see who was all behind me but I guess just like a shark, you keep moving forward."
However, Stinson says he wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the help and support of the Semper Fi & America's Fund.
“There’s no how to guide of getting blown up. The fund took care of my family, even when I couldn’t and that was a big step for me," he explained. "My focus was on recovery while their focus was making sure my family taken care of so I could be at my best."
Fast forward 13 years and 14 marathons later, Stinson has the goal of qualifying for his first Paralympics in Paris 2024.
He’ll have some World Cups and selection events to compete in but, hopefully, this time next year, he's able to say he’s a Paralympian.
“I hope to inspire people and make people want to push themselves to be better," Stinson said.
As he continues to train, he’s also trying to be a voice for the program that helped him. More about the Semper Fi & America's Fund is bulleted below.
- The Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides lifetime support to critically wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and military families.
- The Fund supports service members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and military families.
- More than $320 million given in assistance
- 31,000 Service Members Impacted
- For the twelfth consecutive year, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) will partner with Semper Fi & America’s Fund in the Double Down for Veterans Match Campaign. Through the end of the year, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, with support from PXG, will match every donation made to The Fund dollar-for-dollar up to $10 million.