From Blackhawk to Sea-Doo: The Incredible Story of an American Hero
Anthony Radetic, a paraplegic, former special forces pilot, professional jet ski racer, and Sea-Doo ambassador, visited the island of Vir and shared his inspiring life mission.
Anthony Radetic, a paraplegic, former special forces pilot, professional jet ski racer, and Sea-Doo ambassador, visited the island of Vir and shared his inspiring life mission.
At a recent jet ski event on the island of Vir, among a hundred or so watercraft enthusiasts, 47-year-old Anthony Radetic drew particular attention. This American of Croatian descent is not only a professional pilot and Sea-Doo ambassador but also a man whose life story transcends sports. He is a medically retired elite Blackhawk helicopter pilot, a former U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant, and a multiple champion in adaptive sports who has been a paraplegic since 2004.
His stay on Vir was organized by friends from Sweden, Ilinna and Nedim Rekic, who invited him to join the gathering. Nedim recently bought a house in the Vir settlement of Prezida, and the event was organized by local enthusiasts Franjo Divković and Matija Bede. Anthony arrived on Vir with his daughter Ana-Maria, who drove him there after he had previously stayed on Pelješac, the birthplace of his father, Vinko Radetić.
Radetic sums up his life philosophy in a simple yet powerful message. "A man with a mission? Yes, I am a man with a mission. My mission is for you to go after your dream and never give up. You can't change the past, but you can influence the present and the future. The message is to never look back and never give up on your dream," he told eZadar. He regularly shares this message with American war veterans and military disabled, drawing from his own experience.
His life changed dramatically in 2004 in a motorcycle accident at Fort Rucker military base in Alabama. He sustained severe spinal cord injuries at the C2, C3, T7, and T8 levels, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. This was followed by months of recovery at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, and a three-year battle with depression from which he emerged through sheer willpower and with the support of his wife, Danielle.
He adopted a new lifestyle with the support of the staff at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, Florida, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America organization. He was medically retired as a Blackhawk pilot in 2010, and adaptive sports then became his new focus. From handcycling and alpine skiing, he progressed to jet ski racing, where he now competes in the professional league on equal footing with all other riders.
He rides an adaptive Sea-Doo RXPX designed by Riva, with a custom seat from BlackTip Jetsports. It was the jet ski that gave him the sense of freedom he was seeking. "A jet ski gives you a lot of freedom. I don't want to say you can do whatever you want, because that would be reckless of me, but there's a difference. On the road, you always have a speed you must maintain and a lane you must stay in. On the water, you can do so much more. When you're out on the open sea, you can jump over waves and do many other things. It's a special feeling," he explained.
He added that the sensation on the water is incomparable: "You feel the sea, the wind, everything hits your face, and you can go fast, really fast, and jump over waves at the same time. You can't do that on a sailboat. It's a completely different feeling on the sea than riding a motorcycle." He explains his need to compete with these words: "In competitive sport, every achievement gets immediate recognition. I think through competition, I was looking for a way to validate my personal struggle with disability."
In 2014, Radetic competed at the Invictus Games in London, founded by Prince Harry, where he won a silver medal in road cycling. Two years later, in Orlando, his children-then ten-year-old Ana-Maria and five-year-old Vinko-met the Duke of Sussex. Shortly after, about ten years ago, a Christmas card with a photo of Prince Harry with the children arrived at their address.
"We haven't been in touch much lately," Radetic joked when commenting on the event. His daughter Ana-Maria is now 20 and has just earned her pilot's license, while his son Vinko, five years younger, has already started more serious flying on jets. Along with his wife Danielle and father Vinko, they are members of his professional team aptly named Rad Man.
Born in 1979 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Radetic began his military aviation career at age 14 at the Florida Air Academy High School military boarding school in Melbourne. Vision problems temporarily derailed that dream, so he earned a degree in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. After enlisting in the army and undergoing successful vision correction surgery, he completed flight training and became a VIP Blackhawk pilot.
His competitive breakthrough in sports came in 2013 at the Never Quit Challenge, and the following year he began his professional career in jet ski racing with Sea-Doo. He achieved significant international success at the Grand Prix of Russia in Vladivostok, where, as the only competitor from the U.S. and the only disabled rider, he finished second. He turned professional nine years ago.
His mission on Vir was clear: "We ride jet skis for camaraderie and to promote the sport. We want to bring people together in the community and spend quality, enjoyable time socializing on the sea." He liked the island and also commented on the difference compared to Pelješac: "Vir is a nice place. It's different from my Pelješac because it's more crowded and the houses are a bit cramped, but the island is beautiful. The food is also good."
