Pearland veteran makes history at Paralympic Games

Andy Soule's search for fulfillment in life led him from Pearland to Texas A&M to military service in Afghanistan, where an explosion detonated by a roadside bomb resulted in the amputation of both legs above the knee.

Today, Soule finds himself in the unlikely climes of Whistler, British Columbia, where he won the United States' first medal of the 2010 Paralympic Games and has a chance for three more medals this week in biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Soule, 30, won a bronze medal Saturday in the men's 2.4-kilometer pursuit sitting biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing with shooting. He placed 10th on Sunday in the men's sitting 15-kilometer cross-country race and competes next on Wednesday in the men's sitting 12.5-kilometer biathlon.

He is the first U.S. athlete to win an Olympic or Paralympic medal in biathlon and among the first veterans of the Middle East war to win a medal in the Paralympics.

“It means a lot to me,” Soule said Sunday afternoon. “I've been getting calls from physical therapists and others who have helped me, and I know that we also have recovering (veterans) with new disabilities who are watching us. And for them to be able to see what is possible is just huge.”

Soule has been one of the world's top-ranked Paralympic biathletes for three years. He ranked fourth in biathlon and ninth in cross-country this season on the International Paralympic Committee's World Cup circuit and has been ranked among the top 15 in one or more disciplines since the 2007-2008 season.

Disciplined

As a native of the Houston area, having graduated from Pearland High School in 1999, he stands out as a rare world-class athlete on the winter sports stage.

But Greg Rawlings, coach of the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team, said Soule has succeeded in sports through the same discipline that carried him through his career in the military and through rehabilitation from his injury in Afghanistan.

“He's definitely military,” Rawlings said. “You say ‘jump,' and he's already jumping.

“He's a different man than the one I met a year and a half ago. He's more of a citizen of the world. We brought in 15 kids from the U.S., some of them in wheelchairs and some of them amputees, and it was amazing to see him talk with them.”

Soule competed in cross-country running and track at Pearland before enrolling at Texas A&M as a member of the Corps of Cadets. He left school for the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“I was burned out on school and kind of flailing around in college,” he said. “I had planned on the military as a career, and when September 11 happened, I decided to enlist.”

He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2005. On May 21, 2005, he was injured when a roadside bomb detonated near the Humvee in which he was riding. One soldier in the vehicle died from his injuries, and Soule's damaged legs were amputated a few inches above the knees.

“It's something I remember completely, but it's not a horrible memory,” he said. “It certainly was painful at the time to go through, and it was something that was a big change in my life. But I'm happy to be alive.”

He took up adaptive sports at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and was recruited to join the Paralympic ski team. He trained for a time in Sun Valley, Idaho, and now lives in San Marcos, where he trains on local roads using a mountainboard, which he described as a skateboard with wheels. He also trains by canoeing in the San Marcos area.

“Having the outlet for the competitive spirit and striving for goals has been huge as far as getting me active and keeping me active,” he said.

He said his parents, Robert and Debra Soule of Pearland, who are in Whistler for the Paralympics, and his fiancée, who lives in Austin, have helped him adapt to his changed circumstances and to look toward the future.

“They were with me at the hospital the first couple of weeks I was there, and they're hugely excited to see me competing in World Cup skiing,” he said.

A sharpshooter

Soule hopes to enroll next year at Murray State College in Oklahoma to study to become a gunsmith. He also hopes to compete in Paralympic sports through the 2014 Sochi Games and still has designs on more medals in Whistler.

As a military veteran, marksmanship has been a strength for Soule in biathlon. He also has improved as a skier, passing two competitors during the cross-country portion of the race to get into medal position Saturday, and he thinks he has a good shot to medal again Wednesday.

“We compete about three times a year, but they're fairly small events,” he said. “The Paralympics is much bigger. It's an incredible experience to be here and to be on a bigger stage. And as a veteran, being able to stand up and represent my country again is a huge honor.”

david.barron@chron.com