Josh Brunais, a U.S. Army veteran and defender for the U.S. 7-a-side soccer team, has been named the U.S. flag bearer for the Rio Paralympic Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
“The flag means a great deal to me,” Brunais said in a press release. “I have the utmost respect for what our flag means. I’ve represented this flag in one capacity and now to do so in another for a country that has done so much for me, this just feels incredible. I am so honored to have been chosen.”
Retired Staff Sgt. Brunais received the Soldier’s Medal after saving the lives of 14 men by pulling them out of a fire after a helicopter crash in February 2007.