<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2aPiT9_1GzkshPm00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2aPiT9_1GzkshPm00" width="1200" height="600" >MONETA, Va. (WDBJ) - He served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then he came home and continued serving his community as a police officer. But a devastating car crash would change his life in an instant.Doctors told him there were things he would likely never do again. But he had other plans.This Veterans’ Day, we’re introducing you to a veteran who refused to let adversity have the final word. It’s an ordinary sight for most people. A man blowing his lawn.But for Joseph Gardner, it’s a reminder of just how extraordinary the ordinary can be.In July of 2026, Joseph was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle. Joseph said his military training kicked in, and he went into survival mode. And for the first time he prayed hard. Then, a first responder and former Army Combat Medic came rushing to his aid, working to stabilize him as he remained totally conscious the entire time. “I was going to try and free myself from the bike because I was going to do a makeshift turn kit because I’ve got to survive. That was probably the first time in my life I felt defeated and I had given up. So, I just remember praying, I prayed and about that time another guy came up and he said ‘I’m an Army Combat Medic’ and as soon as he said Army Combat Medic, I was like ‘I’m good!’”Before the motorcycle accident, he wore two uniform; serving his country in war in both Iraq and Afghanistan, then serving his community as a police officer in both Roanoke and Franklin County. Joseph was facing a new reality as an amputee. He was facing a future filled with uncertainty, surgeries, and rehabilitation. “I told them if you have to take the leg, take the leg, I’d rather have a second chance at life to spend time with my wife and kids, but I knew my life was never going to be the same at that point,” said Gardner. But he wasn’t ready to accept that as his ending. There was one goal he kept coming back to...walking out of the hospital on his own two feet. Well, at least one he was born with. And five days into inpatient rehab at the Salem VA with his new prosthetic, he did it! “What did that feel like? Definitely emotional, but it made me feel like…I’m going to get through this!”Joseph says the Salem VA built a ramp outside his house and beefed up his bathroom so showering was a little easier. It took countless hours of rehabilitation, determination, and a willingness to push through the pain. Step by step, he began doing things he was told he might never do again.And today? He’s walking. He’s mowing his own lawn. And he’s reclaiming pieces of life that once seemed out of reach.His military service taught him something about perseverance. His accident tested it in ways he never imagined. But perhaps the greatest battle he’s fought wasn’t overseas or on the streets as a police officer. It was the will to get back to living.</div></body>

Block Source: WDBJ7.com

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MONETA, Va. (WDBJ) - He served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then he came home and continued serving his community as a police officer. But a devastating car crash would change his life in an instant. Doctors told him there were things he would likely never do again. But...

Veteran defeats all the odds

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MONETA, Va. (WDBJ) - He served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then he came home and continued serving his community as a police officer. But a devast

Veteran defeats all the odds

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