Dust. Debris. Screaming. That’s what she remembers after waking up in a hospital bed in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It was April 13, 2004. A routine morning in Baghdad for her unit, with a routine command. They headed out from the base destined for the Green Zone, but only minutes into the ride her life changed forever. They hit a roadside bomb and her leg was blown off, making her the first woman to ever lose a limb in active combat. Through the powerful use of pathos, ethos, and logos, this advertisement not only effectively persuades its target audience but it also reveals the life-changing difficulties this veteran has faced, the multitude of challenges she has overcome, and the story which she is sharing with the world.…show more content… The left hand side wears the strong words of “soldier”, “leader”, “champion”, but it is the right hand side that first draws the eye: a small, strong woman stands with her arms behind her back, neck straight, head up, eyes facing forward. Her feet are a shoulder’s width apart, she stands confidently, proudly, powerfully. She is a mother, a soldier, a champion, a hero. She wears a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant uniform and the swimwear of a United States Olympian. She is Melissa Stockwell, the first-ever female American soldier to lose a limb in active duty in Iraq. With only one leg, she has gone on to achieve World Champion and Paralympian titles by swimming, biking, and running for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice: their
