Landon Ranker

Move United / Our Athletes /

Landon Ranker

Male posed smiling at the camera by a sign that says elevation 12,000 feet above sea level with mountains in the background

I served a total of 28 years in the U.S. Army, mostly in the 101st Airborne Division, as a Light Infantryman and Sniper. In 2008, while deployed to Afghanistan as an Infantry Platoon Sergeant in the 101st, on my 4th combat tour, I was wounded by a close proximity enemy 82mm mortar round impact and explosion. The round landed about 15 feet from me.

I was lucky to survive. When the round hit, it was the middle of the night, and I just happened to have laid down behind my rucksack. I suffered moderate to severe head and brain injury, damaged knees, and some shrapnel damage to mostly the left side of my body. My left inner ear was permanently damaged as well. For months afterward, I had difficulty standing, walking, talking, reading, manipulating small objects (keys were a major struggle), and a whole host of cognitive problems.

After 15 months of intense brain injury rehab, I was able to stand and walk again. Much of that was learning adaptations and relearning skills that I had known my whole life. I had 17 years in service when I was wounded, the Army decided to keep me on active duty, but in a desk job capacity. That is when I was put in charge of growing and running the adaptive sports program at Fort Campbell WTU.

I ran that program for 5 years. I competed in the Warrior Games in 2010, 2011, and 2012, earning several gold, silver, and bronze medals in swimming and track and field. I finished my Army career in Hawaii, working for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and planning MIA remains recovery missions around the globe.

After getting wounded, I was introduced to adaptive skiing through Move United, and have attended numerous skiing events through them. I participated in the Hood to Coast Relay on the Move United team of wounded service members. Also, I completed the full 2019 Bataan Memorial Death March on the Move United team. I am now fully retired from the Army, living in Colorado, and pursuing skiing, hiking, and running as much as possible.