Andrew‘s Story

Posted by Andrew L.
Posted: Wed, April 15 2009 at 6:25pm

“Everybody for the rest of my life is going to look at my capability. People are going to wonder, ‘Can he really do it?’ and I want to leave no doubt in anyone’s mind.”

—Andrew L., Special Air Missions Pilot,

Andrews Air Force Base

As a Lt. Colonel with an accomplished Air Force career in his background, there was no reason to question Andrew’s capabilities on the ground or in the air.  A 1998 off-road motorcycle accident, however, threatened to change perceptions.

Following what should have been routine surgery for a broken leg, infection set in and Andrew saw a potential three-month recovery turn into a three-and-a-half year nightmare.  After seventeen surgeries and two knee joint replacements, it was finally determined that amputation was the best solution.  

That final surgery was performed in June 2002 and Andrew was fitted with a C-Leg®—Otto Bock HealthCare’s microprocessor-controlled knee joint prosthesis.

Being fit with the C-Leg® was not a random choice.  As his amputation surgery approached, Andrew carefully researched prosthetic solutions with just one goal in mind – to regain flying status with the Air Force. Following rigorous rehabilitation and standards testing, Andrew attained that goal and in October 2004 became the first above-knee amputee to return to flying status in the history of the Department of Defense, when he became a pilot for Air Force 2.

In addition, Andrew has made it a priority to set a hopeful example for other injured military personnel, and he and his wife, Lisa, have devoted thousands of hours of amputee peer support to soldiers hospitalized at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.