A Veteran's journey to the 2024 Paralympic games

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — When one decides to join the Army they often feel a sense of duty., and for one veteran it was duty at first sight.

 “I was at the library just bored. And I remember picking out a book,” said Jason Tabansky who will represent the United States at the Paralympic games in Paris. “The book's title is Chicken Hawk. And it's a book about helicopter crews in Vietnam and what they did all the medivac guys all the helicopter recovery, and that just immediately caught my attention.”

Tabansky would go onto serve for 16.5 years. Eventually becoming a flight crew instructor. It was all going according to plan until one unfortunate day.

“Just one of those typical rainy days in London and I had a brand new aircraft that I needed to get covered up," said Tabansky. “So, I went up top threw some ropes and covers on it. And as I was climbing down, I slipped and kind of, I fell from about, I don't know, five, five and a half feet.”

The fall would leave the Brownsville native wheelchair bound but not without a desire to continue living life to the fullest.

“It wasn't until I actually got hurt,” said Tabansky. “And I was doing my rehab at the VA that our rec therapists introduced me to target archery. And I mean, I fell in love with it right off the bat.”

Tabansky ’s newfound love would turn into a desire to compete at the highest level. Earning him a new mission. The paralympic games 2024 in Paris.

“I'm super excited," Tabansky said. "And this is something that has been in the works for like the past eight years, from when I started shooting archery, I remember meeting some of my mentors at the VA spinal cord unit, and one of them was getting ready to go to Rio for pistol shooting. I said, you know what, man, I’m going to make it to, to one of the games with you before you retire.”

Tabansky says he is excited to represent more than just his country.

“You know, I always brag about where I came from, and I never forget where I came from, “ said Tabansky. "So I’m super excited to be able to represent each and every person back home.”

Jason will look to continue defying the odds when the games start on August 28.