US Open 2013: From Afghanistan to Flushing Meadows, an inspiring story of pain and perseverance

Angelo Anderson

With the US Open starting this week, Flushing Meadows is all set to witness an inspiring story of pain and perseverance.

Angelo Anderson, who started his journey from the hospital bed after being shot in Afghanistan, will be the hero of the story and a ball-person at the tournament.

It took Anderson three years of treatment and hundreds of hours of physical therapy to achieve the feat after his bones in his upper leg and arm were shattered by bullets. He will sprint across the court with a titanium rod that runs from his knee to his hip and will throw the ball with an arm reinforced by a titanium plate.

Anderson’s age, deep ripples of scars in his biceps and thighs, a tattoo on his leg with the date of his injury in Roman numerals and a signature of the surgeon in his arms will make the Navy corpsman stand out from the rest.

He started working for the Navy at the infectious disease clinic at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, where he received his orders to report to Afghanistan in December 2009.

Anderson was shot in Afghanistan while patrolling with the Marines and was struck by two bullets from an AK-47 which shattered his femur in the right leg and the humerus in his right arm.

He also participated in the Warrior games, a competition for injured service members and hopes to someday work as a physical therapist with injured soldiers looking to compete in adaptive sports.