By Guest Blogger John Quinn, retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer and Author of Someone Like Me – An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy

There are approximately 22 million veterans in the United States today.  Chances are you know someone who served or is active in the Armed Forces.  The latest statistics also show that there are over 800,000 people with cerebral palsy in the U.S.  But have you ever met someone who served in the military while battling cerebral palsy? 

You have now. 

My name is John W. Quinn and I was born with cerebral palsy.  I couldn’t walk on my own until the age of four, due to being partially paralyzed on one side of my body and my left foot being two and a half sizes smaller than my right.  I wore eye patches to help correct my vision and heavy orthopedic shoes to straighten my spine, and endured grueling physical therapy sessions all throughout grade school to build up my “pipe cleaner” limbs. 

I kept this all a secret in order to join the United States Navy. In fact, I maintained the secret of my disability during my entire 20-year military career.  No one knew I had cerebral palsy as I served onboard battleships, destroyers and aircraft carriers.  I stood every watch, participated in every drill and fought every fire.  I performed at the highest levels and retired in 2002 as a Senior Chief Petty Officer – the second highest enlisted rank you can hold in the Navy.  It was an honor to serve my country.

READ MORE ABOUT My Story: Keeping a Secret to Achieve Workforce Inclusion