A soldier's story: Purple Heart recipient aspires for Olympic gold

Black Enterprise, Sept, 2008 by Ayana Dixon

HIS WAY A FAMILIAR STORY: WITH no way to pay tuition for his junior year of college, Jerrod Fields enlisted in the Army. "My goal was to serve for three years, get out, get the money, and then go back to school and try to make it to the NBA." But his dream of becoming a professional athlete was seemingly shattered just one month into his service in Iraq.

"I was hit on Feb. 21, 2005," says the sergeant (then a Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Calvary). "It happened fast but everything seemed to move in slow motion."

Fields and two other Bradley Fighting Vehicles and two humvees stopped to investigate a dead dog lying in the middle of the road. Unfortunately, it was a decoy (insurgents would place explosives inside dogs, camels, and the like)--the men were unknowingly sitting on 22 roadside bombs. The explosion set the cab of Fields' vehicle ablaze and, suddenly, the squadron was under gunfire.

"As I was trying to put out the flames, I realized my leg was mangled," the 26-year-old recalls. "I prayed that if God would get me out of this situation, I would be His. Then, I didn't feel pain anymore and continued driving."

The Chicago native led the squad to safety, saving 25 lives--an act of heroism for which he later received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. But the husband and father of two had been severely wounded. "The bomb had blown out the back of my leg from the heel to the calf," says Fields. Doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center said they could save it using tendons from his elbow. "I'd be fused at the ankle, meaning no movement. I wouldn't be able to stay active in the military, and I couldn't play sports, so I told them to cut it off."

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Today, Fields still serves in the Army in its World Class Athlete Program. Despite the loss of his leg, he is a rising track and field star (his recorded best time for 100 meters is 12.1 seconds; for 200 meters it's 25.1 seconds). He is the only amputee in the program. "It's not the NBA, but I am a professional athlete," he says with pride.

Although he just missed qualifying for the 2008 Paralympics team, he isn't discouraged. "I've only been running on the leg for seven months. I'm looking forward to the 2012 games in London."

Fields says he owes his strength to his unwavering faith. "I could have been depressed. A lot of veterans are dealing more with the mental than the physical, but to anybody struggling with a disability, or just trying to overcome anything, I say God has plans for you. Learn to trust Him no matter what. That's how I made it through."