Kirstie Ennis

Veteran, Paralympian

Kirstie Ennis joined the Marine Corps at 17 years old in Pensacola, Florida. Over the six years she served, she performed duties as a helicopter door gunner and airframes mechanic on the CH-53 platforms. On June 23, 2012, during her last deployment to Afghanistan, her helicopter went down while performing combat resupplies to FOB Now Zad. As a result of the crash she sustained various severe injuries that included an above the knee amputation on her left leg. She medically retired out of the Marine Corps as a Sergeant in May 2014. Kirstie Ennis became the first female US veteran above the knee amputee to summit Carstensz Pyramid.  Ennis is also training to make the 2018 U.S. Paralympic snowboard team and compete at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang next March.