Double Amputee Veteran Brings Message: ‘Still Standing, Still Smiling’
Before Dec. 2, 2006, John Kriesel’s worst day was the Minnesota Vikings missing a trip to the Super Bowl. It was on that December day that Kriesel, stationed in Iraq, lost both his legs and his two best friends when their Humvee triggered 200 pounds of explosives.
His story of resiliency and positivity since that fateful day will be the focus of his Monday, Nov. 4, motivational speech, “Still Standing, Still Smiling” on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Sponsored by the Centennial Student Union, Radio Mankato and the University’s Veterans Resource Center, Kriesel’s 7:30 p.m. presentation will be in the CSU Ostrander Auditorium. The event is free to the public.
A Minnesota native, Kriesel joined the National Guard at age 17. After serving in Kosovo, his unit was assigned to Camp Fallujah, Iraq on April 8, 2006. That December, while on patrol, Kriesel’s Humvee triggers a 200-pound IED (improvised explosive device). As a result of the blast, he lost both legs and suffered numerous other major injuries. He died three times on the field operating table before undergoing 35 surgeries and spending months at the Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital.
Throughout his recovery, Kriesel continued to beat the odds of survival and life in a wheelchair. Nine months after entering Walter Reed, he walked out of the medical center.
In 2010, he released his book, “STILL STANDING: The Story of SSG John Kriesel” a first-person, present-tense account of his life before and after his injury. The book went on to win eight national awards. Kriesel was also elected in 2010 to the Minnesota legislature.
As a freshman legislator, he became known for speaking his mind, even against his own party. After one term, he left politics and became Anoka County Director of Veteran Services. He also became a regular contributor on Twin Cities KFAN sports radio. He continues to be a Friday guest on the Power Trip Morning Show.
He also took his story on the road as a motivational speaker to corporations, schools and public presentations. He mixes humor into his commentary that leaves the audience between tears of laughter and sadness. Mostly, he talks about the spirit to move forward in life.
“When I talk to students, I often say that before December 2, 2006, the worst day in my life was January 17, 1999, when Gary Anderson missed a field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings wasted a 15-1 season and a trip to the Super Bowl,” Kriesel said in STILL STANDING. “Waking up at Walter Reed and seeing that my legs were gone was devastating, but the sun came up and I was alive. It’s tough, but there is no alternative except to move on.
That reality fueled his drive.
“Strangely, it was just the fight to keep going that helped more than anything,” he wrote. “I came to realize there was no room for sadness or emotions. This is my life now.”
Disability is a relative term as Kriesel seeks to lead a normal life, whether playing golf several times a week or cleaning leaves from the rain gutters at his home.
For his audiences, he describes what tools, including his demonstrated sense of humor, he applies to overcome the extreme challenges he’s faced while making it relatable and relevant to a multitude of life situations.
“One thing I have learned is that when doors of opportunity get slammed in your face whether by a bomb blast in Iraq, auto accident, loss of your job, death of a loved one, or any personal tragedy, new doors are waiting for you to push them open,” Kriesel cited in his book. “Once you put aside pain, sorrow, and grief, your future is what follows tragedy, a new day with new opportunities.”
