“Not only can I do it. I can do it well.”

Brad Snyder was in high school when the planes hit the World Trade Center on 9/11.

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He decided then and there that he was dedicating his life to making sure that didn't happen again on American soil.

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Watch Brad's story here!

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So he attended the Naval Academy where he graduated in 2006.

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Actually, he was out in combat the night Osama Bid Laden was killed not far from where it happened in Afghanistan.

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But at the end of his 2011 deployment, he stepped on an IED. He was lucky to survive but the explosion left him blind.

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He struggled to cope with the devastating news and deal with a whole new reality of being a blind man.

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Thinking of his buddy who had died in combat inspired him to push forward.

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He says it would be foolish to say he dreamed of being a Paralympic. But he had swum competitively since he was 11 years old.

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So he started swimming. And although he wasn't the best, he worked hard and slowly but surely got better and better.

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Bryan was quickly introduced to the Paralympics.

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He was just in time to try and make it to the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

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He worked hard to move up the ranks, earning his spot to compete in the 2012 Games.

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Then something incredible happened. He fucking WON!!!

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"It was an amazing experience to be at the games, let alone winning a race."

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Winning the race was incredibly cathartic for him and his family.

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Although swimming competitively wasn't his original life plan, it became his way of saying, "It's still me. I'm still the same."

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He wanted to show people that not only could he still do the same things he did before, but he could de the well!

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Oh, and he also got to meet President Barack Obama.

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Way to go, Brad!!!! You are most definitely an inspiration.

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