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William McLeroy

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William McLeroy
Caucasian male wearing battle dress uniform
McLeroy as a sergeant first class in 2004
Nickname Bud[1]
Born 1960 (age 64–65)[2]
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Marine Corps (1980–86)
United States United States Army Reserve (1987–14)
Years of service 1980–2014
Rank Command Sergeant Major[1]
Unit 315th Psychological Operations Company[3]
Battles/wars Operation Iraqi Freedom[3]
Awards Purple Heart[1]
Spouse(s) Tina[3]
Other work Firefighter, politician

William "Bud" McLeroy (born 1960) was the first amputee to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom.[3] He is also the first service member, and firefighter, to serve while only having one leg.[4][5]

Early life[]

Growing up in south San Diego, McLeroy attended Montgomery High School; in his senior year he changed to night classes, in order to save up money to fund his upcoming Mormon mission.[2] After high school, McLeroy became a missionary for two years, then enlisted in the Marine Corps.[2]

Military career[]

After six years in the Marine Corps, McLeroy joined the Army Reserves, before joining active duty.[2] While on active duty, McLeroy was stationed in West Berlin, and witnessed the Berlin Wall coming down.[2] In 1990, McLeroy returned to the Army Reserves. After losing his leg in 1993, McLeroy became the first one legged service member.[4] In 2012, McLeroy served as a commandant of the 80th Training Command.[4] In 2014, McLeroy was medically retired after nearly 33 years of service.[1]

Civilian career[]

McLeroy began working as a firefighter in San Diego in 1990;[4] joining the Federal Fire Department of San Diego.[2] In 1993, while in a preliminary race in Plaster City for Baja 1000, McLeroy was hit by a passing race car, severing his leg below the knee.[2][6] McLeroy received his first prosthetic limb in January 1994.[2] After losing his leg McLeroy became the nation's first professional one-legged firefighter.[2][4]

Political ambitions[]

In 2009, McLeroy announced that he would run as a candidate for the 51st Congressional district, against incumbent Bob Filner;[7] he did not appear on the primary ballot for the seat in June 2010, instead winning a seat on the San Diego County Republican Party Central Committee.[8] In 2010, McLeroy ran for board member of Southwestern College (California)|Southwestern Community College District, ranking third out of four candidates for the fifth board member seat.[9] In 2012, McLeroy ran again for the third board member seat of Southwestern Community College District and lost, receiving 41.82% of the vote.[10] In 2014, McLeroy ran for a seat on the Sweetwater Union High School District school board,[11] placing second out of four candidates.[12]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 R., Stickney (18 August 2014). "Ceremony Honors 30+ Years of Service". http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/William-Bud-Mcleroy-San-Diego-Marine-Army-Firefighter-Retirement-271690071.html. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Phelgyal, Jangchup (7 October 1999). "The One-Legged Professional Firefighter". http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1999/oct/07/feature-one-legged-professional-firefighter/#. Retrieved 21 October 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Master Sgt. William "Bud" McLeroy". United States Army. 10 November 2008. http://www.army.mil/otf/soldierstory_mcleroy.html. Retrieved 19 October 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Fulcher, Albert (19 October 2012). "Election 2012 – William “Bud” McLeroy interview". http://www.theswcsun.com/election-2012-william-bud-mcleroy-interview/. Retrieved 21 October 2014. 
  5. ↑ Army Reserve Public Affairs (2 February 2009). "Amputee Becomes First One Legged Firefighter In The US". e-Firefighter, LLC. http://www.firefightingnews.com/article.cfm?articleID=61363. Retrieved 26 October 2014. 
  6. ↑ My Army Reserve (20 April 2009). "Sgt. William "Bud" McLeroy". United States Army Reserve. https://www.flickr.com/photos/myarmyreserve/3460202323/. Retrieved 21 October 2014. 
  7. ↑ Taylor, Susan (28 October 2009). "Amputee Running For Congress". http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/politics/Amputee-Running-For-Congress-.html. Retrieved 21 October 2014. 
  8. ↑ "County of San Diego Gubernatorial Primary Election". County of San Diego. 6 July 2010. http://www.sdvote.com/voters/Eng/archive/201006bull.pdf. Retrieved 21 October 2014. 
  9. ↑ Edward L. Lascher, Jr., Ph.D.; Ernst Cowles, Ph.D. (2010). "California County, City and School District Election Outcomes". State of California. p. 87. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/county-city-school-district-election-results/2010/school-district-report-2010.pdf. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 
    "Board Member; Southwestern Community College District; Seat 5 Voter Information". League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. 30 November 2014. http://www.smartvoter.org/2010/11/02/ca/sd/race/015/. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 
  10. ↑ "County of San Diego, Presidential General Election". County of San Diego. 5 December 2012. p. 2. http://www.sdvote.com/voters/Eng/archive/201211bull.pdf. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 
    "Board Member; Southwestern Community College District; Seat 3 Voter Information". League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. 14 January 2013. http://www.smartvoter.org/2012/11/06/ca/sd/race/009/. Retrieved 20 October 2014. 
  11. ↑ Muñoz, Daniel (3 October 2014). "Sweetwater board races provide an opportunity for a fresh start!". http://laprensa-sandiego.org/stories/sweetwater-board-races-provide-an-opportunity-for-a-fresh-start-2/. Retrieved 30 October 2014. 
  12. ↑ "2 Trustees in Sweetwater Scandal Not Re-Elected". 5 November 2014. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Bertha-Lopez-Jim-Cartmill-Sweetwater-Trustee-Election-Results-281633791.html. Retrieved 5 November 2014. 

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