Noah Matthew Galloway (born October 28, 1981)[1] is a former United States Army soldier, motivational speaker, and extreme sports enthusiast. He was injured during the Iraq War, losing his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee.[2] He was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 20, paired with Sharna Burgess. The pair finished in third place. He led his team to victory in the first season of the American Grit TV show on FOX. His book Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier was released in August 2016. Made an appearance on the Cross Over with Ted Davis, Dario Melendez and Armen Saryan on May 8, 2020. An Emmy award sports talk radio show based in Milwaukee, WI. He enjoys playing golf and throwing darts at different breweries in and around Birmingham, AL.[3]

Noah Galloway
Birth nameNoah Matthew Galloway
Born (1981-10-28) October 28, 1981 (age 43)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service2001–2006
RankSergeant
Unit
Battles / warsIraq War
AwardsPurple Heart
Spouse(s)Amanda Galloway
Children4
Other work
  • Motivational speaker
  • Extreme sports enthusiast
Websitenoahgalloway.com

Early life

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Galloway was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of Andy Galloway and Bebe Galloway.[4] When Galloway was young, his father had an accident and lost his hand, but was able to work construction. Galloway said that his father was able to give him advice when he was injured, and understood his depression and mistakes.[3][5] Galloway's family's background is Scottish.[4] He has competed in sports events wearing a tartan kilt.[6][7] Galloway said that his family has a history of serving in the military.[2]

Career

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Military

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Galloway joined the military in 2001 after 9/11.[2] He was a Sergeant assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[8] On December 19, 2005, during his second deployment, he was severely injured in an IED attack in Yusafiah, Iraq. He lost his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee; his right leg and jaw were badly injured, the latter having to be wired shut.[9] He was unconscious for five days, and later was moved to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. for further treatment and rehabilitation.[8]

Fitness competitions

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After leaving the Army, and going through an extended period of depression and addictions, first to pills, then to alcohol, with encouragement of his friend Eric Eisenberg who fits prosthetic devices at BioTech Limb & Brace, Galloway began focusing on fitness, reconnecting with his passion for sports that he had from his childhood and before his injury.[5] Galloway eventually became a personal trainer. He participated in a variety of fitness competitions from regular 5K and 10K races to ones such as Tough Mudders, CrossFit competitions and Spartan events.[10][11] Galloway was part of Operation Enduring Warrior, a non-profit organization that helps veterans via sports.[12] Galloway was part of a team attempting to climb Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.[13] Galloway said that social media helped him stay inspired to participate in the competitions and events.[5]

Motivational speaker

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He is also a motivational speaker, addressing audiences of veterans, school children, and others with his message of "no excuses".[14] Galloway appeared on the November 2014 cover of Men's Health magazine, the first reader to be selected for the magazine's cover, and was named the publication's "Ultimate Men's Health Guy".[15] He has been a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Today Show.[15][16] In 2015, Galloway was featured on the cover of U.S. Veterans Magazine Summer issue.

Brand sponsorship

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In October 2014, Galloway became the spokesman and model for Kenneth Cole's new fragrance Mankind Ultimate.[17] More recently, Galloway became a brand ambassador for Armitron Watches. Both he and Armitron champion the No Excuses Charitable Fund which empowers injured veterans through support of physical rehabilitative services.

Dancing with the Stars

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In 2015, Galloway was chosen as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (season 20), and was paired with professional dancer and choreographer Sharna Burgess.[9] While Galloway experimented with a prosthetic arm for his Argentine tango, he and Burgess decided not to use it, ultimately not using it in any of his dances. The producers told him before the competition began that he would not be assigned the jive or quickstep, since the quick, repetitive motions required for those dances would be too painful.[18] On May 19, 2015, Galloway and Burgess finished the competition in third place losing to Riker Lynch and Rumer Willis who took second and first place, respectively.[19]

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/ "I Lived" 7 6 6 7 No Elimination
2 Samba/ "Homegrown Honey" 7 6 7 7 Safe
3 Argentine Tango/"Rather Be" 7 7 8 8 Safe
4 Contemporary/"American Soldier" 8 8 8 8 Safe
5 Foxtrot/"A Whole New World" 7 7 7 7 Safe
6 Rumba/"Waves"
Freestyle: Team YOLO/"Wipe Out"
7
10
7
9
7
10
8
10
Safe
7 Jazz/Era:1970's "Super Bad"
Cha-Cha-Cha/"Dance with Me"
10
Awarded
8
2
9
Extra
9
Points
Safe
8 Tango/"Geronimo"
Salsa/"Mr. Put It Down"
8
8
7
8
8
8
8
8
Safe
9
Semi-Finals
Viennese Waltz/"The Time of My Life"
Paso Doble/"Unstoppable" (E.S. Posthumus)
9
9
10
9
10
9
10
Safe
10
Finals
Argentine Tango/"Rather Be"
Freestyle/"Titanium" and "Fix You"
Argentine Tango & Cha-Cha-Cha Fusion / "Surrender"
8
10
9
8
10
9
8
10
9
8
10
9
Third Place

Television appearances

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List of television appearances and roles
Year Title Role Notes
2013 True Life Himself Episode: "I'm Doing A Tough Mudder"
2014, 2015 The Ellen DeGeneres Show Himself Aired on: October 24, 2014
2015 Entertainment Tonight Himself Aired on: February 24, 2015, March 17, 2015
2015 Dancing with the Stars Himself/Contestant Third Place
2015 Good Morning America Himself Aired on: March 30, 2015
2015 Extra Himself
2015 CMT Music Awards Himself/Award Presenter
2015 The Home and Family Show Himself
2015 The View Himself
2016 American Grit Himself He is one of the four Cadre training the contestants. His team won first place.

Charity work

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Galloway founded the No Excuses Charitable Fund. The fund, which assists organizations he feels are important, has aided Operation Enduring Warrior and also local programs including those for children at the YMCA of the town where he lives, Alabaster, Alabama.[2][15]

In June 2016, Galloway accompanied high school students from Alabaster, Alabama's Thompson High School on a mission to Jutiapa, Honduras,[14] to help provide computer labs as well as installing water chlorinators for fresh water.[20]

Personal life

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After an eight-month courtship, Galloway married Amanda in June 2021. He is the father of four children. His oldest son, Colston, is from his first marriage. His son Jack and daughter Rian, are from his second marriage in 2007. That marriage also ended in divorce. His youngest, Matthew, was born on November 8, 2022. [21] [4][6]

During the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars, Galloway proposed to his girlfriend (later fiancée), Jamie Boyd, on air.[22] On Monday, October 26, 2015, Galloway announced the end of the engagement. In late 2020, Noah began dating Amanda, whom he had met on a trip to New York City some years earlier. The relationship culminated in marriage in June 2021. The couple were wed in Calera, Alabama. On November 8, 2022, Noah and Amanda welcomed a son, Matthew Quin Galloway. [23][24]

In September 2015, as part of the Homes for Our Troops program and a Specially Adapted Housing Grant from the Veterans Administration, Galloway was given a mortgage-free home that is adaptable to wheelchairs, which he sometimes needs, as well as other features needed for amputees.[25] The organization also provides veterans with financial planning assistance. Galloway had volunteered for the organization as a builder volunteer starting in 2010.[26]

Works and publications

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  • Galloway, Noah; Baer, Rebecca Angel (2016). Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier. New York: Center Street. ISBN 978-1-45-559693-5. OCLC 932173890.

References

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  1. ^ Marriage Certificate, Noah Matthew Galloway to Tracy Nicole Ennis. Columbiana, Alabama. March 7, 2007. p. 102470. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Zimmerman, Mike (October 7, 2014). "Noah Galloway Is the Ultimate Men's Health Guy". Men's Health. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Handler, Chelsea; Galloway, Noah (September 1, 2016). "Chelsea: That's My Tight End". Chelsea. Netflix. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Colurso, Mary (March 16, 2015). "Who is Noah Galloway? Army vet, double amputee makes debut tonight on 'Dancing with the Stars'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Laird, Sam (December 19, 2012). "For Double-Amputee Marathoner, Social Media a Force for Inspiration". Mashable. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Miller, Gerri (March 16, 2015). "This Is a Made Man: Noah Galloway". Made Man. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  7. ^ Reed, Martin J. (April 5, 2013). "After injuries in Iraq, Alabaster veteran joins Power Force Apparel as new spokesman". The Birmingham News. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Bio: About Noah". NoahGalloway.com. 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (April 3, 2015). "How Dancing with the Stars' Noah Galloway Dances Without Two Limbs". People. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  10. ^ "'True Life' Check-In: Noah Hopes That People Find His First Solo Tough Mudder Inspiring". True Life. MTV. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "Ambassadors: Noah Galloway". The Garage Games. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  12. ^ Pope, Thomas (April 20, 2014). "Operation Enduring Warrior inspires wounded veterans". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  13. ^ Morton, David (December 5, 2011). "Carstensz Pyramid: The Heroes Project Expedition in Three Acts". Eddie Bauer Blog. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Wagner, Neal (April 26, 2016). "ACS gearing up for Sister Schools trip to Honduras". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Stump, Scott (October 7, 2014). "Amputee vet becomes first Men's Health reader to grace magazine's cover". Today. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  16. ^ "Backstage Exclusive! Ellen Surprises Men's Health Cover Model Noah Galloway". The Ellen DeGeneres Show. October 22, 2014. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "Mankind Fragrance By Kenneth Cole Announces: Noah Galloway Revealed As "The Ultimate Men's Health Guy"". PR Newswire (Press release). October 7, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Colurso, Mary (March 16, 2015). "Who is Noah Galloway? Army vet, double amputee makes debut tonight on 'Dancing with the Stars'". The Birmingham News. Advance Publications. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  19. ^ Kubicek, John (May 19, 2015). "'Dancing with the Stars' Season 20 Finale Recap: Who Wins the Golden Mirror Ball?". BuddyTV. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  20. ^ Harris, Sherea (June 23, 2016). "Alabaster students, Noah Galloway return from mission trip to Honduras". WBRC. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "The following couples applied for marriage licenses in Shelby County from March 2–8". Shelby County Reporter. March 20, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  22. ^ Donnelly, Jim (May 12, 2015). "Recap: The Semifinals and Noah Galloway's Proposal!". ABC.com. Disney–ABC Television Group. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  23. ^ Corriston, Michelle (October 26, 2015). "Galloway and Boyd End Engagement". People. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  24. ^ Wagner, Neal (October 27, 2015). "Noah Galloway, Jamie Boyd no longer engaged". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  25. ^ "Sgt Noah Galloway - Calera, AL - Mission Accomplished on Sept. 28, 2015". Homes for Our Troops. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  26. ^ Colurso, Mary (October 5, 2015). "Noah Galloway of 'Dancing with the Stars' opens door to new house, thanks to Homes for Our Troops". The Birmingham News. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
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