'Wounded Warrior' Recounts Iraq Battle, Gets Standing Ovation at Parkland

'Wounded Warrior' Denis Oliverio came to Parkland High School Friday with an emotional story to tell:

On Oct. 14, 2005, he was shot in the left arm in action against the enemy in Iraq. The bullet tore threw his tricep and bicep, later requiring 14 surgeries to reconstruct his arm and hand and help him gain reuse of them.

"We celebrate that now as an alive day," Oliverio told history students, officials and fellow veterans who gathered to hear his talk about that fateful day. "We don't think about it as the day I got injured, the day I suffered, the day I went through things. We think of it as a day I survived, a day I made it."

Oliverio was in the Lehigh Valley at the invitation of Parkland alum and Jaindl Farms owner David Jaindl, who presented Oliverio with a $50,000 check for the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps wounded veterans rebuild their lives. Oliverio, who resides in Florida, is the organization's director of major gifts.

The money was proceeds from this summer's Tough Mudder endurance event, held on Jaindl land in Heidelberg and Lynn townships. The Tough Mudder event attracted 22,000 participants and 8,000 spectators.

Oliverio, who received a standing ovation after recounting his war experiences, gave tribute to veterans of all wars as Americans observe Veterans Day.

Who are veterans? he asked. "Those that put on a uniform in defense of our country, and they don't think anything of it, they think I'm serving my county, this is normal, this is what I should do. We celebrate them on Monday, and we celebrate them because they truly deserve it."

Oliverio praised the Wounded Warrior Project, which he said helped him rebuild his life. And now, through his work with the organization, he said he is "paying it forward."

Oliverio has received a Purple Heart, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon and several other awards.