SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Patrick Peterson, a U.S. Army war veteran who served his country as a communication relay specialist, has landed what he considers a great job. The Point Clear native who loves hunting and fishing recently reported for duty as the telephone operator at Bass Pro Shops in the Spanish Fort Town Center.

Peterson, who is paralyzed from the waist down, will present the American flag and visit with guests during the outdoor superstore’s “Evening for Conservation,” which begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The event kicks off its grand opening celebration.

“I definitely didn’t think I would be able to find an environment like this, and people who would accept me in my condition,” he said. “They have accepted me in every way. They treat me like I’m not in a wheelchair. For a person in my condition, it’s ideal.”

Because he’s a sportsman, Peterson enjoys checking out the latest boats, rods and reels, and rifles the store has on display. He said, “The whole lifestyle is just right for my taste.”

The 38-year-old graduated from Fairhope High School in 1989, and soon afterward joined the army. His tour of duty included a brief stint with the 1st Infantry Division in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm.

“It was the best six years of my life,” Peterson said. “I got a chance to visit the world.”

He also served with the 37th Field Artillery Unit in Korea, less than 15 miles from the demilitarized zone. Peterson said, “I got a chance to sleep on top of the mountains and see the clouds below me.”

After that, Peterson was stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey, Calif., a place where he woke up each day near the beach. He called it “the second sweetest assignment I had.”

Fort Ord closed in September 1994, and Peterson was transferred with many others to Fort Lewis, Wash. While in the Pacific Northwest, he traveled extensively around Vancouver, British Columbia and the Canadian west coast. He also became a diehard Seattle Seahawks fan.

Once he returned to civilian life, Peterson attended Faulkner State Community College where he earned an associate’s degree in science in 1998. He then went to work for United Parcel Service as a pre-loader and driver until a May 2001 motorcycle accident changed his life.

Peterson said he was riding his cycle on Texas Street in Mobile, and popped a wheelie. He didn’t anticipate a bend in the road.

“I was trying to be a hot boy, thinking I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof,” Peterson said. “The curve went one way, and I went the other.”

The spill crushed his L2 vertebrae, leaving him a paraplegic. Peterson said he woke up in the University of South Alabama Medical Center 38 days later, and was told he would never walk again. He spent another 20 days in rehab at Mobile Infirmary, learning how to deal with life confined to a wheelchair.

“For the first year or so, I was definitely a hermit,” Peterson said. “I shied away from interaction with people, except family members.”

That all changed, however, when Peterson stopped by McDonald’s in Fairhope one day and saw another wheelchair-bound man reading underneath a tree. He discovered the man was the president of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and through that chance encounter found himself involved in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

The athletic competition attracts 500 to 600 participants each year, and is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. It is a multi-event sports and rehabilitation program for military veterans who use wheelchairs.

“Once I got involved in PVA, they sent me to Milwaukee, Wisc. in 2005,” Peterson said. “That was my first actual participation in the wheelchair games as a novice.”

He took part in five events that year, and received medals in four of them — 100 meter dash (silver), 200 meter dash (bronze), air rifles (bronze) and weightlifting (bench press, gold). Peterson noted, “It was surprising to me. It gave me goals to set for myself. I wanted to come back all gold.”

Although Peterson set his sights high, he nearly achieved that goal in the 2008 games, held late last month in Omaha, Neb. He won gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter dashes, as well as in weightlifting, but didn’t perform well in the bowling competition.

A smiling Peterson said, “Words cannot describe the feeling that came over me that I received three golds in a National Veterans Wheelchair Games. It’s like lightning. There’s nothing to describe the feeling of accomplishment that I achieved my goal in a national event.”

He is already training for the 2009 games, scheduled to take place July 13-18 in Spokane, Wash. Peterson said he rides his Invacare bicycle every morning, and works out each afternoon. Invacare is his sponsor in the competition.

Peterson’s son, Cadell, is 15 and plays football as a receiver for the Fairhope Pirates. His daughter, Danielle, 21, attends Faulkner. The single dad said life would be more difficult without them.

“I’ve got two good kids, so they make it easy,” he said. Both are doing well in their studies.

Reflecting on the accident that left him disabled, Peterson said, “It didn’t kill my motivation. It’s changed my life for the better — gave me an opportunity to slow down and smell the flowers. I was out there riding my bike without regard to others’ lives, much less my own. I’m a family guy now, instead of the individual knucklehead I was.”

When asked about the event on Wednesday, he added, “They’re recognizing me for my gold medal accomplishments,” he said. “I feel extremely blessed.”

Also taking part at the Bass Pro Shops grand opening event on Wednesday are former University of Alabama All-American and 14-year Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, along with former University of Alabama All-American and NFL Hall of Famer Dwight Stephenson.

Others on the roster for the evening include NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr.; legendary anglers and TV hosts Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance; 2000 Bassmaster Classic Champion Woo Daves; “Mr. Crappie” Wally Marshall; The Delph Family of saltwater fame; Bass Pro Shops Pro Staffers Chris Daves, Tim Horton and Marcus Kennedy; RedHead Pro Team member and five-time National Turkey Calling Champion Walter Parrott; RedHead Pro Team leader and host of Bass Pro Shops “100% Real Hunting” television show Jerry Martin; “The Black Widow,” America’s billiards star Jeanette Lee; and 15-year Major League Baseball veteran Ryan Klesko, who played for the Atlanta Braves from 1992-1999.

They will be seated in various areas of the store, and will be available for photos and autographs until 8 p.m.