News From the Cause
Wounded take to the sky: (SUFFOLK HERALD, VA)
August 16, 2011
Matias Ferreira entertained his friends and family on Sunday by pressing up on his hands and swinging into a handstand.
His brother, father and several fellow Marines gasped as he fell from his handstand onto his artificial legs perched beside him, then started laughing as he swung back around to a sitting position, clearly unhurt.
But that wasn’t even the craziest thing the double-amputee did this weekend.
Earlier, he had gone skydiving as part of the “Jumping for a Purpose” event, which brought dozens of wounded warriors to Skydive Suffolk to let them skydive for free.
The event raised funds for charities that support wounded warriors through donations from attendees, refreshment sales and more. It was sponsored by TroopSwap.com and Skydive Suffolk.
“It was outstanding,” said 22-year-old Justin Gaertner. “I wasn’t really nervous until we jumped. It was nice once the parachute opened. It was a real relaxing ride.”
Gaertner and Ferreira are best friends. The Marines met in Walter Reed Army Medical Center after getting their legs blown off in separate attacks in Afghanistan.
Gaertner is part of a team that detects and defuses explosive devices. He was riding in a convoy near Marjah, Afghanistan, on Nov. 26, 2010, when the vehicle in front of his was hit.
When Gaertner and others got out of their vehicle to rescue their comrades, they discovered there were other explosive devices nearby. Gaertner and another Marine stepped on two of them. Both later had both their legs amputated. Another Marine died in the attack.
Ferreira had a bad feeling when he woke up on Jan. 21, 2011.
“I knew something bad was going to happen,” he said. “I just didn’t know it was going to happen to me.” Click here to view more
