After carrying the US flag, Brown (pictured top) will compete in the men's T44 400 metres event of the championships, which run through to July 18 in Lyon, France.

"I do what I do because of the many men and women who did not make it back [from war], so this is an extremely huge honour," said the Army World Class Athlete Programme member who trains at the US Olympic Training Centre in Chula Vista, California.

"I thank you for letting me represent you.

"Wearing our flag is the greatest honour, to be able to carry it is a huge honour."

Brown was injured in firefight with insurgents in Iraq in September 2006, when he suffered multiple gunshots to the hip, one of which cut his sciatic nerve, leaving the lower half of his right leg without sensory or motor functions.

His right leg was amputated below the knee in 2008.

He is now looking ahead to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where is a big hope for a medal for the US.

"There is no person I would rather stand behind," said teammate Jeremy Campbell, a three-time Paralympic champion in discus and pentathlon events.

"If I was in the Army, I would want to stand behind Rob Brown.

"At the World Championships, I want to stand behind Rob Brown."

Among the 76 members of the US contingent at the World Championships, 10 are veterans and two are active duty service members.

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