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Dana's Biography
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An Incredible Story of Spirit and Determination
Dana Bowman
Sgt. First Class (Ret.) |
Dana Bowman has astounded the nation and the world with his drive,
determination, and will to succeed. He is a retired Sergeant First Class with
the U.S. Army where he was a Special Forces Soldier and a member of the U.S.
Army’s elite parachute team, the Golden Knights. Dana Bowman is a double
amputee. He lost his legs in an accident during the annual Golden Knights
training in Yuma, Arizona, in 1994.
On February 6,1994, Bowman gained worldwide attention when he and his teammate
Sgt. Jose Aguillon collided in midair during the team’s annual training.
Bowman and Aguillon were practicing a maneuver known as the Diamond Track. The
maneuver calls for the jumpers to streak away from each other for about a mile
and then turn 180 degrees and fly back toward each other crisscrossing in the
sky. Bowman and Aguillon had demonstrated the Diamond Track more than fifty
times without a mistake, but this time was different.
Rather than crisscrossing, the two skydivers slammed into each other at a
combined speed of 300 miles per hour. Aguillon died instantly. Bowman’s legs
were severed from his body, one above the knee and one below the knee. Bowman’s
parachute opened on impact. He was taken to a hospital in Phoenix where doctors
closed his leg wounds and stopped his internal bleeding.
Nine months later, he turned this tragedy into a triumph when he became the
first double amputee to re-enlist in the United States Army. Bowman re-enlisted
in the United States Army airborne style, skydiving with his commander into the
ceremony, making his dream a reality. This achievement is just one example of
Bowman’s many successes under adverse circumstances.
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After Dana’s re-enlistment, he became the U.S. Parachute Team’s lead speaker and
recruiting commander. Dana has been fortunate to have the opportunity to let his
speeches touch so many from the physically challenged to the able-bodied. He
strives to show physically challenged people can still work and excel in today’s
society and military. Dana emphasizes the words amputee and uselessness are not
synonymous. |
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Dana has given more than 400 speeches in the last few years and has been
featured in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, People and
many more. There have also been numerous television programs which focused on
Dana and his story. Some of the programs include: Dateline, A Current Affair,
Real TV, NBC Person of the Week, Day and Date and Extra.
Dana retired from the United States Army in 1996. He received his Bachelor of
Science degree in commercial aviation at the University of North Dakota in May
of 2000.
Dana spends a great deal of his personal time working with other amputees and
disabled or physically challenged people. "Dana inspires other amputees to walk
again. His future plans are to continue to
speak to the public and fly helicopters.
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