Joshua wanted to join the military as far back as he can remember. He enlisted while he was still in high school.

“I was sitting on the couch one morning during the summer of my junior year. The Navy recruiter called me and asked the simplest question, 'Do you want to join the Navy?'" Joshua remembered with a chuckle. "It must have been one of the easiest recruitments he had in a while.”

Joshua joined the Navy’s Construction Battalion as a Navy Builder. He helped build schools and clean water stations all over the world for villages in need.

On January 16, 2017 while deployed to East Africa, Joshua was working on a construction project to upgrade his base's security infrastructure.

Unbeknownst to him, one of the barriers had became unstable. When it suddenly gave way, Joshua was crushed under 4,500 pounds.

In a matter of seconds his life changed forever.

The weight of the barrier burst a vertebra in his spine. He lost all feeling below the waist. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

Joshua's recovery was grueling, enduring nine surgeries and months of rehab.

His mentality was simple, “Can’t be sad, that won’t help. Being mad at yourself for something you cannot control doesn’t help anybody.”

While Joshua tried to remain positive, living in a home not suited to a wheelchair made his situation even more bleak. He struggled with narrow hallways and entryways, dangerous bathrooms, and some rooms completely being inaccessible—including his kid's bedrooms.