| Darrell Salzman | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | "J.R." |
| Born | 1979 (age 32–33) Hayward, Wisconsin |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | Minnesota Army National Guard |
| Years of service | 2003–2007 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 34th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Awards | Purple Heart Iraq Campaign Medal Combat Infantry Badge |
| Relations | wife |
| Other work | logroller |
Darrell "J.R." Salzman (born 1979) is a champion logroller and an Iraq War veteran. ESPN has called him "among the preeminent outdoors athletes" of the last decade.[1]
Salzman grew up in Hayward, Wisconsin.[1] His sisters, Tina Bosworth and Crystal Salzman, are also top logrollers.[2] He attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
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Salzman was a competitor in log rolling and boom running, a sprint on floating logs, in all six seasons of ESPN's Great Outdoor Games, winning 14 medals (more than any other player). In 2005 he was awarded the Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY.[1]
Between 1998 and 2010, he won eight world titles at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward.[1]
Salzman used his log rolling skills as a stuntman in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2.[3]
Emotionally affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks, Salzman chose to join the National Guard, enlisting shortly after the two-year anniversary. He was able to compete in the Great Outdoors Games twice more before his unit was activated as part of the 34th Infantry Division in the fall of 2005.[1] In the spring of 2006, he was deployed to Iraq.
In Iraq, Salzman was primarily assigned to convoy security duties. On December 19, 2006, while scouting for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the lead Humvee of a convoy traveling through Baghdad, his vehicle was struck by an Explosively Formed Penetrator. His right arm was severed below the elbow and his left hand was pulverized by the blast. He also suffereed a traumatic brain injury. As he is allergic to morphine he was transported to a field hospital before any anesthetic was given.[1] The first thing he said to the medic, indicating that his legs were uninjured, was "at least I'll still be able to logroll."
He recovered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a nearby Fisher House, learning to use a prosthetic arm and recover his physical skills including fly fishing. His brain injury causes him short-term memory loss, and he is considered 100 percent physically disabled.[3] Nevertheless, after returning to Hayward, he successfully attempted to logroll again, practicing with and without his prosthetic; "with" seemed to work better. Salzman returned to competition, and won a log rolling world title in 2009.
Salzman married his girlfriend, Josie, during a road trip to New Orleans while he was on leave in the spring of 2006.[1]
Salzman runs a milblog, "Lumberjack in a Desert", on which he has recounted his military life and his medical recovery. When he completes his education, he hopes to go into teaching.[3] His sister, Tina Bosworth, is the principal at Elkhorn Area High School in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.