FRIDAY FOTO (June 18, 2010)

Resiliency Personified

U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Leah Young

Proving the adage “You can’t keep a good man down,” Air Force Staff Sgt. Shaun Meadows shares a laugh with his son after completing his first parachute jump since losing both his legs in Afghanistan.

Meadows, along with 39 other members of the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron (STS) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. conducted a practice parachute jump from a C-17 Globemaster III, in preparation for a change of command ceremony.

The combat air controller lost both legs during a reconnaissance patrol in Afghanistan when his convoy hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in July 2008. Combat controllers are FAA-qualified air traffic controllers who jump or swim into hostile territory to scout out landing zones or airstrike targets and then direct the incoming aircraft.

“Everything went well today,” Meadows said after the June 14 jump. “It felt good to get up there and jump again after two years.”

Meadows will also be participating in the 22nd STS change of command ceremony, which will be his last jump before he separates from the Air Force.

For another photo of the sergeant’s history-making jump, click here. Don’t forget to click on images to enlarge.