American Essence

Conquering Hills: The Incredible Story of Navy SEAL and Paralympic Champion Dan Cnossen

Through discipline and perseverance, an injured Navy SEAL turned his life’s darkest moment into a story of victory.
Conquering Hills: The Incredible Story of Navy SEAL and Paralympic Champion Dan Cnossen
Daniel Cnossen competes in the Men's Individual Sitting Biathlon during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics. Michael Steele/Getty Images
Walker Larson
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The world was green and black.

At least, that’s how it looked through Dan Cnossen’s night vision goggles as he scanned the rugged terrain. It loomed up before him: a large, rocky hill crowned by a crumbling, Soviet-era fort. This wasn’t the first hill—literal or metaphorical—that Cnossen had climbed in his life, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Before becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master’s in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, “Hologram” and “Song of Spheres.”