Folks in Washington County are stepping up to help an Iraq war veteran after a horrible accident.

\"I never knew that so many people here, who don't know who I am, are this kind and this generous,\" said Brian Kash.

Brian and his wife Melody live in Colorado, but Melody has roots in Wisconsin.

Saturday morning there was a 5k run to raise money for Brian's medical bills.

\"This is the first time we've ever done this. We have never organized an event before,\" said David Claussen.

Claussen and his sister helped spearhead Dash for Kash.

\"We have a lot of military in our family and if we can give back to the men and women who served our country, we want to make sure to do that,\" said Claussen.

It almost seems like coincidence Kash chose to enter a career of service to our country.

\"Interestingly enough, my first day of boot camp was September 11, 2001,\" said Kash.

He knew he wanted career in the military.

\"I was going to try to go into the Navy Seals as an officer,\" said Kash.

But, just 6 weeks before he was supposed to leave for officer candidate school, his life changed forever.

\"I dove into a pool I wasn't familiar with. There was a wall in the middle of the pool going from three feet to nine feet. I forgot that wall was there. I dove in and smashed right not the wall,\" said Kash.

He broke his neck and is now confined to a wheelchair.

\"Every single thing is affected, brushing your teeth in the morning, picking up a cup of coffee, absolutely everything,\" said Kash.

Despite that, he said he is still grateful.