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Monday, February 17, 2014

Soldier from Palm Bay Florida fighting to walk again at Walter Reed

War-wounded Florida soldier Justin Burdette fights to walk again
WTSP News
By R. Norman Moody
Florida Today
Feb 16, 2014
U.S. Army Sgt. Justin Burdette of Palm Bay, Florida, was on patrol in Afghanistan when an explosion ripped through his legs, taking both below the knees. Here he practices walking with his first two prosthetic legs.
Photo courtesy Craig Rubadoux, Florida Today
Check link for more fabulous pictures 


BETHESDA, MD (Florida Today) -- Justin Burdette swings his limb up onto a table.

"See my new leg?" Burdette asks his occupational therapist as he uses his hand to lift the prosthesis.

That prosthetic leg, connected just below Burdette's right knee, is just the first of a pair the 27-year-old Army sergeant will need.

On June 9, a rocket explosion ripped through Burdette's legs while his unit was on patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan, protecting a convoy from enemy fighters.

He lost both legs below the knee.

"It's part of the game," said the 2005 Palm Bay High graduate. "It's war. It happens."

Though there is still some fine-tuning to make the prosthesis fit perfectly, it immediately began making it easier for Burdette to move from bed to wheelchair and to stand, at least momentarily, as he undergoes months of treatment and therapy at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"He can't reach a lot of stuff in the cabinets," his 5-foot-3-inch wife, Beth Burdette said.

"He's no longer 6-4."
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