Representative Young Congratulates Brad Snyder on his Paralympics Victories

Navy Lieutenant and St. Petersburg native Brad Snyder completed his impressive Paralympic performance by being selected by his teammates to carry the American flag in the games closing ceremonies.  Blinded one-year ago by an IED explosion in Afghanistan, Snyder won three medals, gold medals in both the 100 and 400-meter freestyle and silver in the 50-meter freestyle. In an interview after he finishing competing Lt. Snyder said, "I know there are a lot of guys out there, guys and girls, who are struggling with a tough hand and hopefully my success here at the Paralympics can reach out to those people and say, 'Hey, there is a way forward; there is something you can go out and do that will give you that relevance and success again."

Prior to the Paralympics beginning, Representative C. W. Bill Young recognized the extraordinary service of Lt. Brad Snyder and wished him luck as he embarked on his path to Paralympic Gold.  Representative Young included Lt. Snyder’s candidate statement for the United States Naval Academy in which he stated “Initially it was Olympic gold that I dreamed of, but as reality set in I realized that the military was a more realistic dream. Today I dream that I will be an officer in the best Navy the world has ever seen, and I hope that my contributions to the Navy can help it grow strong.”

“Lt. Brad Snyder has achieved his goals on both fronts – serving our nation with honor as a United States Naval officer, and winning Olympic gold.  Far greater though, is the way in which he demonstrated to the world the courage and commitment of all U.S. service members when he entered that pool and when he carried the Stars and Stripes into the Olympic Stadium.  This is a remarkable young man with a remarkable story.  Congratulations to Lt. Snyder for representing his country and achieving victory at the 2012 Paralympic Games,” Young said.

Representative Young also extends his congratulations to the 20 American active duty military and veterans who competed in the Paralympic games, as well as all those representing the United States in the games.