Friday, April 15th 2022, 7:10 am
This weekend in the Netherlands, the Invictus Games will be taking place, with injured heroes from all over the world competing.
One of those special heroes is from Oklahoma.
Jacob Anthony served in the military for 11 years.
He has saved countless lives and completed four deployments in Afghanistan and two in Pakistan, with several other tours.
He was among the best of the best, serving as a green beret and earning a Bronze Medal for his heroic acts.
A humble man, he would never tell you that. But his wife, Jenny Anthony, is beaming with pride,
"I am proud of him because he is a hard worker, he is very family oriented and he always does his best to provide for us,” said Jenny Anthony.
In 2005, Jacob Anthony faced a terrifying moment where he could have lost his life.
"We were doing a raid on a compound, going for a high-value target and the door we were making entry on was booby-trapped behind it. So, the explosive we used, we didn't have the right standoff distance, and it blew off more than it was supposed to. I had scrap metal in the right frontal lobe of my brain," says Jacob.
After recovering from his severe brain injury, he went back for another tour. When he was done his service didn't stop, and he became a firefighter.
"When I got out of the military, I wanted to do something where I could still serve and still have the type of comradery and brotherhood that you have in the military."
And in his spare time, he spends time with family and he trains.
I usually workout with weights every day, and then I will do speed training as well, with sprints outside and then with rowing. I have a rower that I work out with pretty much daily.
He's competed in the Warrior Games before, and now for the first time he is competing in the Invictus Games.
It is a competition for wounded military service men and women from around the world.
Jacob competes in the open division and is doing several different events.
The games are adaptive, meaning adjustments are made so everyone is on the same playing field, no matter what injury they may have.
“It is a great privilege to be able to do this and to work alongside other veterans, it is motivational for me to see some of the things they are dealing with and they are able to overcome,” said Anthony.
Jacob's determination and spirit can be an inspiration to us all.
To learn more about the Invictus Games, click here.
April 15th, 2022
December 29th, 2024
September 13th, 2024
September 1st, 2024
February 7th, 2025
February 7th, 2025
February 7th, 2025
February 7th, 2025