It's Not The Disability...It's The Ability That Counts!
I have put this web site up to reach out to the public to tell my story. My hope is you will find out just how limitless your life really is no matter where you find yourself in life.
You will not find very many people who haven't heard of Dana Bowman or the tragic accident that claimed both of his legs. In 1994, Dana was a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights skydiving team. During a routine training exercise over Yuma, Arizona the unthinkable happened. Dana and his partner were practicing the maneuver called the Diamond Track, which with smoke the two would etch out a diamond shape in the sky. As the two skydivers completed the bottom half of the "diamond" they collided in mid-air at around 300 mph. Both of Dana's legs were severed instantly and the impact claimed the life of his best friend and partner.
"In an instant my whole life was changed forever," Bowman remembers. Dana's left leg had been amputated below the knee and his right leg was amputated above the knee. His incredible attitude and determination were a key factor in his rehabilitation. In just 9 months following the accident, Dana had successfully re-enlisted back into the Army and became the first amputee member of the Golden Knights.
His proudest moment came during the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Dana made his final skydive as a Golden Knight landing in the middle of the Olympic Stadium with the crowd cheering!
Dana has since retired from the Army but continues to touch peoples lives through hundreds of speaking engagements, television programs, magazine and newspaper articles.
Dana keeps pushing the edge of the envelope. He has a private pilots license to fly single engine aircraft. He is certified to fly sea planes. Not only is Dana the only double leg amputee certified to fly helicopters, he is a helicopter instructor as well. Dana also enjoys scuba diving, bicycling, water skiing, snow skiing, riding snowmobiles, racing motorcycles and of course skydiving.
You never know where you will see Dana Bowman. He has been working on a number of television programs and public speaking engagements. He recently jumped into the Challenged Athletes Foundation Fund Raiser Event in LaJolla California (November 2001).
