Greg Gadson had just lost both his legs and wanted to give up.
“I did not want to participate in life anymore,” he recalled. “I gave up and bawled my eyes out for two days.”
Then he had an epiphany.
“I had never quit before this, and I was not about to quit now,” the now retired Army colonel told a group of students and visitors Friday at Central Catholic High School, where he was the speaker for the school’s National Honor Society assembly.
Mr. Gadson served in the Army for 25 years of active duty as a field artillery officer and is a retired colonel and commander of the U.S. Army Fort Belvoir garrison.
He is now a motivational speaker, an actor, and the author of the award-winning autobiography Finding Waypoints, the story of his physical, mental, and spiritual journey of recovery after losing his legs and having significant damage to his right arm.
He is a bilateral above-the-knee amputee as a result of being blown 150 feet from his armored vehicle by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
Isaiah Fox, a senior and a captain of Central Catholic’s football team, said he now has a better understanding of how hard life can be.
“We are in the state playoffs, and I really thought that that was something very hard and stressful,” Isaiah said. “Everything he has been through, it shows just how rough things can actually be. He is very inspiring.”
Mr. Gadson attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he played football from 1985-88.
He served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Joint Forge, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“My story is my testimony,” Mr. Gadson said. “I am here today because of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without His grace and mercy, I would not be here today.”
He spoke about coming home to Hawaii from a tour in Afghanistan. What he thought would be a six-month break resulted in his being selected to lead a battalion, being promoted from major to lieutenant colonel, and having to move himself and his family to Fort Riley in Kansas.
He had to train a new unit that went with him when they later deployed to Baghdad to bolster security there.
On May 7, 2007, his whole life and world changed. While returning from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade, he was severely injured by a roadside bomb.
“Leaving the service, my vehicle was hit by an IED roadside bomb. It ejected me 100 feet away from my vehicle,” he said. “I remember flying through the air and then landing on my back on the ground, hard. ... I remember realizing then that I had been hit hard. I told God I did not want to die in that land, and then I blacked out.”
He was saved by a teammate, a 19-year-old who had who had completed two weeks of medical training at Fort Riley.
“My team saved my life,” he said. “Life is not about what we individually accomplish. This country is forged by the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. We pursue or dreams in comfort because of them.”
Mr. Gadson said he received 29 pints of blood and “died” six times that evening.
He received medical care at Walter Reed medical center in Bethesda, Md., where he had multiple surgeries, including the amputation of both of legs above the knee.
Three months later, while recuperating, Mr. Gadson said he sunk into a self-proclaimed “pity party.”
“Before it all happened I was 5 [feet] 11, and I weighed 215 pounds,” he said. “Now I was ‘height unknown’ and 148 pounds.”
He wanted to give up.
Mr. Gadson said through the tears, he came to realize that was not who he was.
“It was my moment of poise,” he explained. “I hold myself accountable to be the best I can be.”
He became one of the first military personnel to use a next-generation-powered prosthetic knee with technology that helps amputees walk with confidence and a more natural gait.
Mr. Gadson has since become an inspiration to the New York Giants during their Super Bowl winning seasons in 2008 and 2012 and has two Super Bowl rings recognizing his contributions as a motivational speaker to the team.
In 2008, he had his “Super Bowl” in military service when he returned to Fort Riley to greet the soldiers he trained.
Mr. Gadson was awarded two distinguished service medals, a meritorious service medal, three Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart, among many other awards.
He is a photographer, and his work has been featured prominently in Coming Home: Journey, Community, Dialog, a New York City public art project that encourages communication between civilians and those who have served in the military.
In 2012, Mr. Gadson appeared in the movie Battleship, which starred Liam Neeson, Rihanna, and Brooklyn Decker. He portrayed an Army officer trying to recover from the loss of his legs.
In 2023, he made a guest appearance on the television series NCIS: Los Angeles.
Mr. Gadson told the students they alone are the ones who decide whether they are victims or conquerors.
“Be present in your life,” he said. “Be your best and live your best life in everything you do. If you do those things, there is nothing else that can be asked of you.”
After his presentation, Mr. Gadson said his life now is nothing like what he thought it would be.
“It is almost mind-boggling,” he said. “To go from that moment in Baghdad to here, so much has changed. I wanted to quit so I was not a burden to my family. There is no blueprint for this. I hope I inspire people.”
Mr. Gadson and his wife, Kim, have two children, Gabriel and Jaelen. The couple has six grandchildren.
Dom Spinazze, a senior and also a captain of Central’s football team, said he was inspired by Mr. Gadson to “be there” for his teammates, family, and friends.
“He taught us about the true value of a team,” Dom said. “He had a team that saved his life. I am inspired to be there for people as well.”
First Published November 15, 2024, 7:49 p.m.
