U.S. Air Force Capt. Christy Wise is a living, breathing example of the power of perseverance.

Fifteen months after losing part of her right leg in a paddle boarding accident, Wise is back to doing what she loves best: flying an HC-130J Combat King II with the 71st Rescue Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.

She’s the first female airman and one of only a handful of above-the-knee amputees to make that transition.

While her recuperation has had its ups and downs, the Air Force Academy graduate said she never doubted that one day she would return to the skies.

“While I was lying in the back of the ambulance after the accident, I told myself that I was going to fly again,” Wise said. “There was never any question about that.”



Hit and run

A Colorado native, Wise comes from a family of high achievers. Her brother, skier David Wise, won a gold medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Her twin sister, Jessica, is a doctor who has volunteered in Haiti since the devastating earthquake in 2010.

“My whole family is really into skiing,” Wise said. “I had never really thought about going into the military, but when I was offered a chance to ski for the Air Force Academy team, I decided to take it.”

Although she has never been stationed at Eglin Air Force Base or Hurlburt Field, Wise has many friends in Northwest Florida, and is a frequent visitor to the area. It was on one such visit late on the evening of April 11, 2015, that she and her boyfriend, Tim Wiser, were enjoying one of their favorite sports — paddle boarding.

“We have friends who live right there on the water in Shalimar, and we’ve paddle boarded there in that cove many times,” Wise said. “It’s a beautiful spot, and we’ve never seen any boats there before.”

The couple was paddling not far from the Shalimar bridge when they saw the lights from a boat heading in their direction.

“I tried waving the light from my hat at them so they’d see me, but they kept coming,” Wise recalled.

The boat struck Wise, and kept on going.

“I jumped off my board and dove under water,” she said.

That decision helped save her life.



‘No matter what it takes’

The boat’s propeller sliced Wise’s leg at the knee, nearly severing it. Left untreated, that sort of injury can cause the victim to bleed to death in minutes.

Fortunately for Wise, her boyfriend immediately made a tourniquet out of his shirt to help stop the bleeding. Even more fortunately, Robert and Michelle Lewis were nearby on their fishing boat.

The couple raced over to Wise and carried her and Wiser to shore.

“I’m so grateful to them and to Tim,” Wise said. “They saved my life.”



‘Overwhelmed by support’

An ambulance rushed Wise to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, where doctors amputated her leg just above her knee.

After she was stabilized, Wise transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, where she went through eight months of extensive and grueling physical therapy.

“I was overwhelmed by the support I received, both from my friends and family and from the Air Force,” Wise said of that period.

Still, there were times when she struggled.

“The little things can be the hardest to deal with,” she said. “I would get frustrated because my prosthetic leg would be squeaky, or I’d be tripping on things. But as far as the big picture goes, I was positive.”

One of the things that kept Wise going was the idea of having a goal. While in the hospital, she heard about the Department of Defense Warrior Games.

The program provides an opportunity for wounded, injured or ill service members to compete in adaptive athletic programs. Less than three months after her accident, Wise was competing in the 2015 games.

“For me, flying has always been an extension of sports,” she said. “So participating in the Warrior Games was a natural fit.”

Wise competed in track and field, swimming and cycling events. This year, she took part in the Invictus Games, an international competition for wounded warriors organized by Britain’s Prince Harry.

“It was pretty awesome,” Wise said of the games. “I didn’t get any medals, but I got to talk with Prince Harry. He’s really nice and down to earth.”



Giving back

In light of all the support she received after the accident, Wise and Wiser decided to start a foundation to help other amputees, particularly in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The One Leg Up on Life Foundation’s goal is to glorify God and help children live life to the fullest by providing prosthetic limbs to child amputees who cannot afford them. Last month, Wise returned to Shalimar to host a paddle board race that raised $5,000 for the foundation.

“That was the most symbolic moment for me,” Wise said. “My feeling is, ‘OK, this thing happened to me, but I’m not going to let it make me afraid. I still paddle board, but just not at night anymore.”

Although local law enforcement was never able to find the boat that struck her, Wise said she is grateful to everyone who investigated the case.

“A lot of people ask me about the hit and run element of my accident and what the local police did to find the person who hit me,” she said. “The local law enforcement conducted a pretty serious investigation for several months where they inspected boat propellers, pulled hotel video camera footage and other things. They were not able to find anything conclusive, but not for lack of trying.”



Back on the slopes

Since returning to duty, Wise has been flying with an instructor. Soon, she’ll be soloing again, and is scheduled to transfer to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in October.

“Right now, it’s been kind of exhausting,” she said of her return to flying status. “But not slowing down makes me feel the most normal. Once I’m fully qualified to fly on my own, it will be fun again.”

Now that’s she back in the cockpit, Wise has a new goal. She’s thinking about trying to compete in the 2018 Winter Paraylmpics in South Korea.

“It would fun to compete along with my brother, who hopefully will be skiing in the Winter Olympics,” she said. “That would be great.”