Heartwarming! Legless Veteran Skateboards Again

By Ligonberry Fields, BuzzVine Contributor Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Ian Parkinson, an American veteran who lost both legs in Afghanistan, skateboards. | (Photo: Screengrab/YouTube/GoPro)

For wounded American veteran Ian Parkinson, the military and skateboarding were always his two greatest passions.

As a result of the surprise attack of a U.S. installation in Afghanistan, the Phoenix, Arizona native lost both of his legs. Many would assume that with such a horrific injury, skateboarding would no longer be an option.

Yet, after years of physical therapy in San Antonio, Texas with his wife by his side, Parkinson decides to return to skateboarding with the help of specialized prosthetics.

Parkinson documents his fast-paced, adrenaline-rush rides using a GoPro camera.

Things do not always go smoothly, as the camera shows plenty of times when Parkinson takes a spill and even a time when he brakes the foot of one of his prosthetics.

After doing so, Parkinson jokes that, for other skateboarders, a broken foot would mean months away. For him, however, it simply means some glue and in twenty minutes he's back in action.

Uploaded to YouTube by the GoPro company on Veterans Day, the seven and-a-half minute video has collected over 118,000 views and more than 5,200 likes.