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 | | Capt. Rey leading his Rangers once again |
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Patriot Profile:
Capt. Rey Gonzalez, Army Ranger
Duty, Honor, Sacrifice
Presented by
Echelon Front
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Capt. Rey Gonzalez is a West Point graduate, and a tough, calm, and highly focused
 | | Rey loaded up and leading the way |
professional. W hile training at Army Ranger School, Rey fell 35 feet out of a Blackhawk helicopter absorbing the majority of the impact with his head and neck. He suffering a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
A year after the accident, Rey had regained some use of the left arm and leg. He believed that he had enough strength and West Point toughness to join two other wounded service members on Camp Patriot's Mt. Rainier Summit Challenge Team.
Camp Patriot's climb of Mt. Rainier requires that wounded service members shoulder 40+ pound packs and climb steep ice glaciers to the 14,411 foot summit of a steaming volcano. Nearly 50% of all who attempt to reach the summit fail. While Camp Patriot provides ample support for each service member, all must climb under their own power. The adventure is designed to build confidence, relationships and trust among climb team members.
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| 100,000 Repetition, 11,500 Feet and a Phone Call |
 | | Rey (2nd) shoulders his pack into the clouds up Mt. Rainier |
Rey shouldered his heavy pack and dragged the right side of his body over rocks, steep icy slopes and the most challenging section of the climb an area called "Disappointment Cleaver" to an elevation of 11,500 feet. It was there, above the hardest part of the climb with 3,000 additional vertical feet of climbing to go, that Curtis Fawley, Camp Patriot's lead guide made the decision to turn Rey around and lead him back to base camp.
"Its a very tough call, no matter how much a guy is hurting he refuses to quit. It's inspiring and tear jerking when you see a guy like Rey drag himself up the mountain, he was so tired and sore that he couldn't keep his head up and he was still pleading his case to keep going. Rey has a warrior's heart."
Over the two days of climbing, Rey did 100,000 or more repetitions with his hiking poles. He used the muscles in his arms, hands and shoulders more in those 2 day than he had in the previous year of physical rehabilitation. Then it happened, on the way to the airport after the climb, Rey made an excited phone call to his guide Curtis; "My hand is tingling, I can feel my hand again." It seems that all those focused repetitions stimulated a response in Rey's body. He would soon feel the same tingling in his foot.
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 | | Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation Guest Speaker; Rey Gonzales with celebrity magician David Blaine |
Three years after the accident that left Rey paralyzed from the neck down. He made a full recovery with the help of Camp Patriot, and a team of committed physicians, therapists and medical professionals from the military and the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation.
"To a large extent, I was very lucky to survive the fall and have had such unbelievable support from my family and friends," Gonzalez said. "My recovery took me to seven different rehabilitation facilities, but now I am thought to be one of the only service members with a spinal cord injury who has deployed to the United States Central Command's area of responsibility."
Rey deployed to Afghanistan to lead his fellow Rangers and was selected to become the aide-de-camp for the deputy commander of Regional Command. Rey's hard work, never quit attitude and mental and physical toughness has inspired people from across the globe.
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| The Echelon Front - Camp Patriot Partnership |
| About Camp Patriot: Challenge, Change and Lead |
Thank you for your support.
God Bless,
Micah, Bob, Bill and all of us at Camp Patriot
p. 480-201-4036
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Camp Patriot Copyright © 2006-2012 All Rights Reserved.
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