A fresh new voice!

National Guard Special Forces Soldier to Jump with Prosthetic

July 29, 2010

GRENADA, Miss. - Less than a year after losing his right foot as a result of an improvised explosive device in eastern Afghanistan, an Army National Guard Special Forces soldier will make his first airborne jump on Saturday in Grenada with a prosthetic, marking the first time in the history of the National Guard of such a feat.

Staff Sgt. Andre L. Murnane, 28, who was cleared last month to jump, will join Special Forces lore when he becomes the first-ever amputee in a National Guard Special Forces unit to jump out of a CH-47 Chinook on Saturday.

After arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC last October, the Maryland resident underwent several surgeries to repair his right foot and ankle.

"Faced with a long recovery, and the reality that I might not ever be able to run, surf or return to my (Special Forces team), I decided to have my right leg amputated below the knee," said Murnane, a communications sergeant. "My dreams and ambitions didn't end that day. It just started a new chapter."

The airborne jump of 2nd Battalion 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) will also feature members of the British military in the first international military exchange in three years.

"This jump will be historical on many fronts," said Lt. Col. Don Randle, the unit's commander. "These are the finest men from the world's finest military organizations. This will be a day to remember."

The drill will also mark the change-of-command ceremony for the Jackson, Miss.-based battalion headquarters. Randle, who recently returned from Afghanistan, will hand over the reins to Lt. Col. Robert J. Shearer.