Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.19.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida checks out at the front desk of a prosthetic clinic in Las Vegas April 19, 2018. Weida was fitted for a new prosthetic leg to accommodate his growing leg muscle due to weight training in the gym. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.19.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida jokes with a physician during his prosthetic leg fitting at a prosthetics clinic in Las Vegas April 19, 2018. Following a handful of unsuccessful surgeries, Weida completed a Tough Mudder, despite being unable to bend his right leg the entire time. It was after this feat when doctors approved his amputation surgery. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class......
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.19.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida has his new prosthetic leg fitted at a prosthetics clinic in Las Vegas April 19, 2018. Weida doesn’t consider himself a cripple, but rather an amputee extraordinaire. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.19.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida places a sleeve over his right leg at a prosthetics clinic in Las Vegas April 19, 2018. As Weida trains for a lifting competition, he must have his prosthetic leg periodically resized to accommodate the growing muscle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.18.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida sorts through photos of his 2011 amputation surgery in his Las Vegas home April 18, 2018. Weida was wounded while serving in Iraq in 2007, but doctors initially denied his request for amputation surgery. He underwent four years of unsuccessful knee surgeries before doctors approved the amputation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.18.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida plays an original song on a ukulele in his Las Vegas home April 18, 2018. Weida battles depression by seeking solace in songwriting, music and painting. He plays the piano, guitar and ukulele. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.18.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida performs elevated push-ups at a gym in Las Vegas April 18, 2018. Weida underwent 18 months of surgeries and physical therapy to rehabilitate his knee after being wounded during a nighttime raid in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2007. The Army medically retired him in 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
Photo by Senior Airman Andrew Sarver | Air Force Thunderbirds | 04.18.2018
Retired U.S. Army SGT Derek Weida reads a framed news article in his Las Vegas home April 18, 2018. The article featured Weida’s road to recovery following a combat-related injury he suffered in Baghdad, Iraq, and how he motivates veterans to stay fit after leaving the military. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Andrew D. Sarver)...
