Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen is entering his second Paralympics when he competes in Chateauroux, France, during the 2024 Paris Games, which run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. (Brittany Nelson/USA Shooting)

Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen woke up one evening in summer 2013 telling himself he needed to change.

Months prior on Feb. 2, 2013, the Westminster, Calif., native stepped on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Horn of Panjwai, Afghanistan.

After initially being told his right foot was intact, doctors gave Nguyen two choices: keep his foot but use crutches and wheelchairs while hopped up on pain medications for the rest of his life; or, have it amputated and be able to move around freely.

It was too much to handle for the then-20-year-old, who went from 135 pounds predeployment to 109 heading into his surgery.

He lacked that reason to continue – until he realized that if he kept going down that road, he would lose his place with his brothers in arms in the Army.

“It was really hard to just grasp the situation at that time and really grasp the cards that I’ve been dealt,” Nguyen said. “I went into a very depressed state because I don’t know what to do with my life.

“Finding a purpose and drive and getting back up on my feet and getting healthy again was my first stride. Everything after that, the opportunities came up, and I took it and I rolled with it.”

The opportunities have taken him all over the world of shooting para sport. The latest stop: Chateauroux, France.

Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen adjusts his sight during the third part of the U.S. Paralympic Shooting Trials from April 21-28, 2024, in Anniston, Ala. (Brittany Nelson/USA Shooting)

Nguyen is one of 160 athletes from 51 countries competing in 13 events at the Chateauroux Shooting Center during the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which begin Wednesday with the opening ceremony and run through Sept. 8.

The World Class Athlete Program and Army Marksmanship Unit member will contest the mixed 10-meter air rifle prone SH1 and mixed 50-meter rifle prone SH1 events. SH1 refers to the classification where athletes can hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position.

At least 15 athletes with military connections have qualified for the Paralympic Games. Two others – Army Sgt. 1st Class John Wayne Joss and Marine Corps veteran Marco De La Rosa – will be in Chateauroux as well.

It marks the second Games for Nguyen. The 31-year-old made his Paralympic debut in Tokyo.

It’s a far cry from 2014, when the recovering Nguyen received a call that changed his life’s trajectory.

“When I was getting back into the Army, the HR department called me, my branch manager called me, and he asked me, ‘Hey, do you like to shoot guns?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, kind of do. It was kind of fun,’” Nguyen said.

“Nine years later, here I am a two-time Paralympian.”

Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen looks down his sight during the 50-meter rifle prone SH1 at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, on Nov. 21, 2023. (Brittany Nelson/USA Shooting)

That journey hasn’t been smooth sailing for Nguyen, who credited then-Army Marksmanship Unit section coach Armando Ayala for helping convince him to join the unit.

Describing himself as stubborn and unwilling to learn from his mistakes, Nguyen admitted he has experienced more failures than successes during his competitive shooting career. It’s only recently that he’s been hitting scores in the 620s regularly.

“In the last couple months, the training has been fairly consistent back to back,” Nguyen said. “So, every time I come back to train, I have a very good feeling of, ‘I did this yesterday, I did this the day before, the day before that – heck, I even did it last week. So, let’s take that energy and carry it over to the next day and try to improve something.’”

His hope is that improvement leads to finals and possibly getting medals. At the Tokyo Games, Nguyen finished 20th and 36th place in the mixed 50-meter rifle prone and 10-meter air rifle prone, respectively.

Nguyen mentioned nerves taking over in Tokyo despite the counsel of Olympians in his unit. This time, he said he’s more comfortable heading onto the Paralympic range.

“I’ve done everything I could to shoot the best that I can,” Nguyen said. “The training and the hard work that I’ve put in, it finally comes to an end. It’s finally the rubber meets the road. I’ve trained enough and hard enough to get me what I deserve.”