FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — In combat, every step is like walking on thin ice.
The risk of war is something Franklin veteran Joey Woodke knows all too well. While on a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2011, Woodke stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED), causing him to lose both legs and severely damaging his right ear.
“There was a big battle going on in Afghanistan at the time and the units there needed help,” Woodke said. “One night, we went out to set up support-by-fire positions. We picked up to move in on the village and I stepped on a pressure plate.”
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Woodke was transported to Walter Reed Medical Center. He stayed there for a year and a half, undergoing frequent surgeries for his legs and ear.
“It was honestly very tough at first,” Woodke said. “Going from being a 21-year-old Marine in the battlefield to not knowing what was going to be next — not knowing, even, what I was going to be capable of.”
After countless hours of physical therapy, Woodke was able to walk using prosthetics. However, it was a sled that gave him salvation, turning disability into capability.
“One of my friends that I played with for years ended up coming to a sled hockey practice out here in Nashville for the Sled Preds,” Woodke said. “He called us right afterwards. He was like, ‘Hey, that was awesome. We should do this!’ So I came to that next Sunday practice and fell in love with the game.”
Woodke connected with Semper Fi & America’s Fund, a veteran nonprofit that provided him with equipment, funding and a community to support him throughout his hockey career. Woodke made the U.S. National Team, winning gold in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
“Hockey helped me gain a lot of my confidence back. It put me back in that competitive spirit and that competitive realm,” Woodke said. “Being on a team with like-minded individuals working towards a common purpose made me feel whole again. It gave me that camaraderie back that I was missing.”
For Woodke, ice did not freeze his spirit. It fired his determination.
“As long as you’re willing to put in the work and keep moving forward, those things will all play out. You’ll figure out what you’re capable of. You’ll build your confidence back,” Woodke said. “You just can’t ever give up.”
