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The iceman runneth

Originally published Dec. 14, 2006

Former Cpl. Wesam Mahmoud, foreign language coordinator for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is training to run 26 miles in Antarctica. The Purple Heart recipient is determined to run the Antarctica Marathon on King George Island on Feb. 26 representing Capella University — where he is pursuing his doctorate — despite wounds he sustained from a roadside bomb in Iraq in April 2004.

“It’s something that I’ve never done before,” he said.

The Egyptian-born 28-year-old began his journey while attending college at Saudi Arabia’s Imam University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and translation. He moved to the U.S. in 2000 to attend Oklahoma University for a master’s degree. Boston College later offered him a spot, and he moved east.

Two semesters later, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed his status as just another student seeking higher education. He became a target of racism, he said.

So, he set another goal: prove to America he wasn’t a terrorist. He enlisted in July 2002 and became an infantryman and combat interpreter.

During his second tour in Iraq, the Humvee in which Mahmoud was riding hit an improvised explosive device. He suffered broken bones in his right foot and shrapnel in his right leg and opted against re-enlistment because he could no longer wear boots.

— Trista Talton