Jim Clendening (Veteran)

Jim Clendening had been in the Navy for a little more than a year when he was involved in the accident that would cost him his leg. He was on his way to transfer from a training squadron back to his regular unit in Florida when the motorcycle he was riding was hit by a car.  The bumper crushed his leg.

Clendening spent a year-and-a-half at a Navy hospital undergoing numerous surgeries to save it. Doctors even transplanted a tibia from a cadaver into his leg. He battled infections for the next 20 years and had more than two dozen surgeries before finally having an amputation below the knee.

He has never let the accident or the amputation slow him down.  Clendening, in addition to his work as the human resources (HR) and marketing director at a Nashville credit union, is a Stephen Minister at St. Thomas Hospital, is an elder at his church and coordinated a ministry for the homeless.

He is also active with Habitat for Humanity.  He used to work full-time for the organization in HR, but also directed teams on work sites and participated in construction.  Habitat is a non-profit organization dedicated to building houses for families in need. “I did a little of everything,” said Clendening, “from directing traffic on the work site to directing the team, to actually installing and building.”

At home he works in the yard behind his Nashville home, with the help of a chainsaw.  “My latest project was to reclaim about 15-feet of my yard from the woods.  I usually work out in the gym at the (St. Thomas) hospital, but for the last couple weeks, I have been working out by hauling limbs and mulch,” he explained.

Clendening knew Matt Bulow for a few years before becoming a patient of Bulow BioTech Prosthetics. “I would see him (Matt) around St. Thomas Hospital where I did HR for 26 years.  We would always chat a little,” he said.  When Clendening’s prosthetist died, he sought out Bulow.

“Matt gets personally involved in what’s going on,” he said of Bulow’s service. “We can speak the same language,” he added. “He listens — I guess that’s the key to what I’ve got to say.”

Clendening uses a Vari-Flex® foot with a Harmony® vacuum socket.  He says it is an improvement over his previous system, which was causing him problems because of the socket system it used. “I got to know Matt personally, so he knew what I was looking for,” he said of the search for the right prosthesis. Bulow is not the only person he praised at the company. “Brenda (Richason) and Anna (Anderjack) are always good about helping me with whatever I need,” he said, adding that he is always able to reach someone when he has questions or concerns.

Clendening says being an amputee has not changed his way of life. “It doesn’t have to limit you. I am not going to let it slow me down. I have been very blessed.” He credits his background for his positive outlook. “I came from a big family,” he stated. “We didn’t have a lot of extra money, so we just fixed everything.”

When interviewed, Clendening was planning a trip to help his daughter with a home renovation project and then to start training for a Soldier Ride with Matt Bulow. Soldier Ride is one of the activities planned by the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP). WWP is a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness and providing care for wounded soldiers.  BBP is a proud sponsor of Soldier Ride and many members of the BBP team participate in the rides. 

Clendening is already an advocate for veterans in other ways, acting as a mentor for wounded soldiers with The Mission Continues and is affiliated with Operation Stand Down.