Joel Dulashanti is seen in this photograph with his wife Lindsey and child.
The Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis will hold an event to honor Desert War Era veteran Saturday. The guest speaker will be Joel Dulashanti, a sergeant who was severely wounded in Afghanistan and rose to overcome his challenges.
Dulashanti served with the 82nd Airborne Division and in May 2007 was deployed to Afghanistan as a sniper. While on duty, he was caught in an ambush chasing the enemy.
His right leg was amputated after the attack, and he needed a partial knee replacement on his left side. Dulashanti is now missing half of his stomach, 90 percent of his intestines, his gall bladder and half of his abdominal wall.
After getting a prosthetic leg, and recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center, he refused to give up.
The military was ready to discharge Dulashanti but he continued on, rising in the ranks to become an airborne instructor.
Chip Duncan, executive director of the museum, said Dulashanti’s story is one that everyone can learn from.
“It talks to a lot of people that are struggling with anything that you can overcome these if you simply have the right positive attitude,” Duncan said.
Dulashanti instructed thousands of students and completed the instructor certification program at a level higher than the standard. Now retired from the military, he works as a lobbyist for veterans in Oregon state, said Duncan.
“He will give a great talk about just overcoming obstacles and not letting limitations in life get you,” Duncan said. “He has not slowed down or stopped even with the difficulties that he has gone through.”
The event will be held on Saturday, on a day dedicated to the recognition of the service and sacrifice of men and women in the armed forces in numerous wars and conflicts since the Vietnam War.
According to Duncan, the event is designed to give honor and healing to the veterans.
Danika Macomber, a Lewis County local who is on her way to Nashville, Tennessee, to begin her professional music career, will perform her self-written music to honor the troops.
The event is free to the public and Duncan expected it to last about two hours. A reduced rate will be offered to those who want to tour the gallery.
“It’s really just going to be a day to remember,” Duncan said, adding that since the Vietnam War there have been 12 major conflicts, most of which people don’t remember anymore. “This is to really remember some of the veterans that are falling through the cracks.”
The fifth annual event will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Veteran’s Museum located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis.
