Ralph DeQuebec
-Hawaii 2016-
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Ralph DeQuebec is a native Californian and was an all around athlete and All City Linebacker in Los Angeles at San Pedro High School. Like many others, he felt the need to serve after 9/11 and joined the US Marine Corps in June of 2002. In 2005, Ralph changed his specialty to Explosive Ordinance Disposal. For the next several years, he would be assigned to different bases, and go through several deployments.
Ralph was serving in Afghanistan in support of the 3rd Special Forces Group on June 21, 2012 when his unit triggered an IED. Ralph lost both legs above the knee as a result of the blast. Since then, he has undergone numerous surgeries and treatments, including femur lengthening, at Walter Reed Hospital. But he hasn't let his injuries quell his inner athlete. He has competed in wheelchair basketball, lacrosse, and monoskiing among other endeavors. Ralph discovered sled hockey and is now a member of the 2018 US National Paralympic Team which will compete in the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea. Ralph moved to Denver in 2017 to train with one of the best sledge hockey teams in the nation in order to prepare himself to make the National Team.
Ralph received his vacation in July 2016 and visited the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. He really did it all! Ralph surfed, boated, skydived, helicoptered, and even found time to relax on his 2-week vacation. Special thanks to Sheraton Hotels on Kauai and Maui for providing accommodations, and to American Airlines for providing air travel. Also thank you to Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, Napali Experience Boat Tours, the Kauai and Maui Veterans Council, the Mayors of Kauai and Maui and to all the people of the islands who made their vacation a memorable one.
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Read more about Ralph's Hawaiian vacation:
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The Garden Island, "Warriors on Vacation"
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Littleton Independent, "Group Sends Injured Marine and His Wife on Vacation"