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Joshua Sparling (born 1981) is a Corporal in the U.S. Army from Port Huron, Michigan, who was wounded in the War in Iraq.
Joshua Sparling was injured in Iraq by an IED on November 20, 2005, and returned to the U.S. on November 24, 2005, where he underwent multiple surgeries to treat his wounds, including severe injuries to his right leg. According to a letter written by Sparling's father, on the day he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Sparling received a letter from the Red Cross that turned out to be anonymous hate mail expressing the wish that the soldier reading the card would die.
Sparling's experiences have been featured by numerous media outlets and weblogs supportive of the Iraq War effort. Media coverage of the death wish triggered an outpouring of over 20,000 cards and gifts to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. Sparling was championed by Fox News commentator Sean Hannity. He has also appeared and spoken at Oliver North's "Freedom Alliance" concerts and was awarded the Defender of the Constitution award . [1] Additionally, Sparling and his parents were invited to and attended the 2006 State of the Union Address as guests of J. Dennis Hastert. [2]