Noah Galloway

Noah Galloway
Birth name Noah Matthew Galloway
Born (1981-10-28) October 28, 1981
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 2001–06
Rank Sergeant
Unit 1st Battalion
502nd Infantry
101st Airborne Division
Battles/wars Iraq War
Awards Purple Heart
Website noahgalloway.com

Noah Matthew Galloway (born October 28, 1981)[1] is a former United States Army soldier, motivational speaker, and extreme sports enthusiast. He was injured during the Iraq War, losing his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee.[2] He was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 20, paired with Sharna Burgess. The pair finished in third place. He led his team to victory in the first season of the American Grit TV show on FOX. His book Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier was released in August 2016.[3]

Early life

Galloway was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of Andy Galloway and Bebe Galloway.[4] When Galloway was young, his father had an accident and lost his hand, but was able to work construction. Galloway said that his father was able to give him advice when he was injured, and understood his depression and mistakes.[3][5] Galloway's family's background is Scottish.[4] He has competed in sports events wearing a tartan kilt.[6][7] Galloway said that his family has a history of serving in the military.[2]

Career

Military

Galloway joined the military in 2001 after 9/11.[2] He was a Sergeant assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[8] On December 19, 2005, during his second deployment, he was severely injured in an IED attack in Yusafiah, Iraq. He lost his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee; his right leg and jaw were badly injured, the latter having to be wired shut.[9] He was unconscious for five days, and later was moved to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. for further treatment and rehabilitation.[8]

Fitness competitions

After leaving the Army, and going through an extended period of depression and addictions, first to pills, then to alcohol, with encouragement of his friend Eric Eisenberg who fits prosthetic devices at BioTech Limb & Brace, Galloway began focusing on fitness, reconnecting with his passion for sports that he had from his childhood and before his injury.[5] Galloway eventually became a personal trainer. He participated in a variety of fitness competitions from regular 5K and 10K races to ones such as Tough Mudders, CrossFit competitions and Spartan events.[10][11] Galloway was part of Operation Enduring Warrior, a non-profit organization that helps veterans via sports.[12] Galloway was part of a team attempting to climb Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.[13] Galloway said that social media helped him stay inspired to participate in the competitions and events.[5]

Motivational speaker

He is also a motivational speaker, addressing audiences of veterans, school children, and others with his message of "no excuses".[14] Galloway appeared on the November 2014 cover of Men's Health magazine, the first reader to be selected for the magazine's cover, and was named the publication’s "Ultimate Men's Health Guy".[15] He has been a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Today Show.[15][16]

Brand sponsorship

In October 2014, Galloway became the spokesman and model for Kenneth Cole's new fragrance Mankind Ultimate.[17] More recently, Galloway became a brand ambassador for Armitron Watches. Both he and Armitron champion the No Excuses Charitable Fund which empowers injured veterans through support of physical rehabilitative services.

Dancing with the Stars

In 2015, Galloway was chosen as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (season 20), and was paired with professional dancer and choreographer Sharna Burgess.[9] While Galloway experimented with a prosthetic arm for his Argentine tango, he and Burgess decided not to use it, ultimately not using it in any of his dances. The producers told him before the competition began that he would not be assigned the jive or quickstep, since the quick, repetitive motions required for those dances would be too painful.[18] On May 19, 2015, Galloway and Burgess finished the competition in third place losing to Riker Lynch and Rumer Willis who took second and first place, respectively.[19]

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "I Lived" 7 6 6 7 No Elimination
2 Samba/ "Homegrown Honey" 7 6 7 7 Safe
3 Argentine Tango/"Rather Be" 7 7 8 8 Safe
4 Contemporary/"American Soldier" 8 8 8 8 Safe
5 Foxtrot/"A Whole New World" 7 7 7 7 Safe
6 Rumba/"Waves"
Freestyle: Team YOLO/"Wipe Out"
7
10
7
9
7
10
8
10
Safe
7 Jazz/Era:1970's "Super Bad"
Cha-Cha-Cha/"Dance with Me"
10
Awarded
8
2
9
Extra
9
Points
Safe
8 Tango/"Geronimo"
Salsa/"Mr. Put It Down"
8
8
7
8
8
8
8
8
Safe
9
Semi-Finals
Viennese Waltz/"The Time of My Life"
Paso Doble/"Unstoppable" (E.S. Posthumus)
9
9
10
9
10
9
10
Safe
10
Finals
Argentine Tango/"Rather Be"
Freestyle/"Titanium" and "Fix You"
Argentine Tango & Cha-Cha-Cha Fusion / "Surrender"
8
10
9
8
10
9
8
10
9
8
10
9
Third Place

Television appearances

List of television appearances and roles
Year Title Role Notes
2013 True Life Himself Episode: "I'm Doing A Tough Mudder"
2014, 2015 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Himself Aired on: October 24, 2014
2015 Entertainment Tonight Himself Aired on: February 24, 2015, March 17, 2015
2015 Dancing with the Stars Himself/Contestant Third Place
2015 Good Morning America Himself Aired on: March 30, 2015
2015 Extra Himself
2015 CMT Music Awards Himself/Award Presenter
2015 The Home and Family Show Himself
2015 The View Himself
2016 American Grit Himself He is one of the four Cadre training the contestants. His team won 1st place.

Charity work

Galloway founded the No Excuses Charitable Fund. The fund, which assists organizations he feels are important, has aided Operation Enduring Warrior and also local programs including those for children at the YMCA of the town where he lives, Alabaster, Alabama.[2][15]

In June 2016, Galloway accompanied high school students from Alabaster, Alabama's Thompson High School on a mission to Jutiapa, Honduras,[14] to help provide computer labs as well as installing water chlorinators for fresh water.[20]

Personal life

Galloway is a divorced father of three children. His oldest son, Colston, is from his first marriage. His son Jack and daughter Rian, are from his second marriage in 2007.[21] That marriage also ended in divorce.[4][6]

During the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars, Galloway proposed to his girlfriend (later fiancée), Jamie Boyd, on air.[22] On Monday, October 26, 2015, Galloway announced the end of the engagement.[23][24]

In September 2015, as part of the Homes for Our Troops program and a Specially Adapted Housing Grant from the Veterans Administration, Galloway was given a mortgage-free home that is adaptable to wheelchairs, which he sometimes needs, as well as other features needed for amputees.[25] The organization also provides veterans with financial planning assistance. Galloway had volunteered for the organization as a builder volunteer starting in 2010.[26]

Works and publications

References

  1. Marriage Certificate, Noah Matthew Galloway to Tracy Nicole Ennis. Shelby County Probate Court. Columbiana, Alabama. March 7, 2007. p. 102470.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Zimmerman, Mike (October 7, 2014). "Noah Galloway Is the Ultimate Men's Health Guy". Men's Health. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Handler, Chelsea; Galloway, Noah (1 September 2016). "Chelsea: That's My Tight End". Chelsea. Netflix. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Colurso, Mary (16 March 2015). "Who is Noah Galloway? Army vet, double amputee makes debut tonight on 'Dancing with the Stars'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Laird, Sam (19 December 2012). "For Double-Amputee Marathoner, Social Media a Force for Inspiration". Mashable. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 Miller, Gerri (16 March 2015). "This Is a Made Man: Noah Galloway". Made Man. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  7. Reed, Martin J. (5 April 2013). "After injuries in Iraq, Alabaster veteran joins Power Force Apparel as new spokesman". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Bio: About Noah". NoahGalloway.com. 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Rice, Lynette (April 3, 2015). "How Dancing with the Stars' Noah Galloway Dances Without Two Limbs". People. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  10. "'True Life' Check-In: Noah Hopes That People Find His First Solo Tough Mudder Inspiring". True Life. MTV. December 11, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  11. "Ambassadors: Noah Galloway". The Garage Games. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  12. Pope, Thomas (20 April 2014). "Operation Enduring Warrior inspires wounded veterans". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  13. Morton, David (5 December 2011). "Carstensz Pyramid: The Heroes Project Expedition in Three Acts". Eddie Bauer Blog. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  14. 1 2 Wagner, Neal (26 April 2016). "ACS gearing up for Sister Schools trip to Honduras". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Stump, Scott (October 7, 2014). "Amputee vet becomes first Men's Health reader to grace magazine's cover". Today. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  16. "Backstage Exclusive! Ellen Surprises Men's Health Cover Model Noah Galloway". The Ellen DeGeneres Show. October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  17. "Mankind Fragrance By Kenneth Cole Announces: Noah Galloway Revealed As "The Ultimate Men's Health Guy"". PR Newswire (Press release). October 7, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  18. Colurso, Mary (March 16, 2015). "Who is Noah Galloway? Army vet, double amputee makes debut tonight on 'Dancing with the Stars'". The Birmingham News. Advance Publications. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  19. Kubicek, John (May 19, 2015). "'Dancing with the Stars' Season 20 Finale Recap: Who Wins the Golden Mirror Ball?". BuddyTV. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  20. Harris, Sherea (23 June 2016). "Alabaster students, Noah Galloway return from mission trip to Honduras". WBRC. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  21. "The following couples applied for marriage licenses in Shelby County from March 2–8". Shelby County Reporter. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  22. Donnelly, Jim (May 12, 2015). "Recap: The Semifinals and Noah Galloway's Proposal!". ABC.com. Disney–ABC Television Group. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  23. Corriston, Michelle (October 26, 2015). "Galloway and Boyd End Engagement". People. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  24. Wagner, Neal (27 October 2015). "Noah Galloway, Jamie Boyd no longer engaged". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  25. "Sgt Noah Galloway - Calera, AL - Mission Accomplished on Sept. 28, 2015". Homes for Our Troops. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  26. Colurso, Mary (5 October 2015). "Noah Galloway of 'Dancing with the Stars' opens door to new house, thanks to Homes for Our Troops". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
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