Both of August O'Niell's parents served in the U.S. Air Force, and he followed suit thinking of a few years of service would pay for his college education. Instead, O'Niell overcame huge odds to become a member of a pararesue team, known as the PJ's. In Afghanistan, he and his team came under daily fire rescuing service members are others who were wounded or in precarious situations. However, that service also led to the greatest challenge of his life.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," O'Niell walks us through the events of July 15, 2011, when an enemy AK-47 round ricocheted into his helicopter and wounded him in both legs. He also describes his decision to have part of his left leg amputated after 20 surgeries failed to repair it, but still winning five gold medals at the Warrior Games leading up to that surgery.

O'Niell also shares his determination to return to excellence at the Invictus Games and to return to full active duty on the pararescue team.