290 RüdigerKunow
presumably autobiographical perspective and mostly without reference
to bodily or mental impairments.^122 The attitude of soldiers toward
disabling injuries incurred in military action is certainly much more
complextodaythanitwasin earliertimes,buttheideathatdisabilityis
something that can be left behind is not only widespread among the
generalpublic,itcanalsobefoundinthedisabledcommunityitself,and
here among disabled veterans, as the following vignette might help to
illustrate.
Tom Fjerstad was a member of the U.S. army on active duty when
he got involved in an accident which left him paralyzed. While still in
rehab,hewas"immediatelyconcernedaboutwhatathleticopportunities
existed after incurring a T-2 spinal-cord injury."^123 After trying out
various physical activities, he finally got involved in wheelchair sports
and found out that he could excel at competitive hill climbing with
wheelchairs. "I never cared how I finished overall as long as I was the
firstonetothetopofthemountain."ThatmountainisinFjerstad'sstory
not only a topographical but also a highly symbolic location; it
representswhatsoldierswithaseverephysicalhandicapcannonetheless
achieve:theycangoallthewaytothe(realormetaphorical)top.Today,
as he has moved on to other sports, Fjerstad tells his life story so that
others may "find the motivation to race to the top of your mountain,
whatever that mountain may be.. ." (Fjerstad n. pag.).^124 In both
(^122) Such material can be found inter alia on the internet platformExperiencing
War: Stories from the Veterans History Project.Library of Congress, 3 Mar.
2016.Web.30May2016.
(^123) A T2 spinal cord injury is a severe form of paraplegia which causes
individualstolosecontroloftheirintercostalandabdominalmuscles.
(^124) This story is taken from the July 2014 issueSports 'n Spokes, a bimonthly
magazine published since 1975 by the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Committed to providing a voice "especially for the wheelchair sporting and
recreation community" ("Mission Statement" n. pag.)Sports 'n Spokesfeatures
personalnarrativesliketheonequotedhereandalsoshortpersonaltributes.Cf.
Gypin,Matt."RugbyRecovery."Sports'nSpokes.PVAMagazines,2017.Web.
21 May 2017.; Rickert, Aprile. "Changing His Perspective."Sports 'n Spokes.
PVA Magazines, 2017. Web. 21 May 2017. and Strahle, Mike. "Sailing
Warriors."Sports'nSpokes.PVAMagazines,2017.Web.21May2017.Froma
cultural critical point of view, such stories can be classified as conversion
narratives, told with the intent to show how "a little attitude adjustment"