As part of Averett University’s Military Appreciation Day, the university is thrilled to bring Sgt. First Class (Ret.) Dana Bowman to campus Nov. 11-14. After parachuting into the Saturday’s football game from the airplane flyover and landing on his two prosthetic legs to deliver the game ball, he will be available at multiple times to talk with students, faculty and staff about his inspiring story.

Bowman will parachute in prior to kickoff to deliver the game ball for Saturday’s home football finale when Averett takes on Huntingdon College at 1 p.m. Join us at halftime or immediately following the game in the Frank R. Campbell Stadium plaza for a meet-and-greet with Bowman.

Bowman is a retired First Class Sergeant with the U.S. Army, where he was a Special Forces Soldier and a member of the U.S. Army’s elite parachute team, the Golden Knights. The double amputee lost both of his legs in an accident during an annual training in 1994. Nine months later, he turned this tragedy into a triumph when he became the first double amputee to re-enlist in the United States Army, which he did airborne style – skydiving with his commander into the ceremony. After his re-enlistment, he became the U.S. Parachute Team’s lead speaker and recruiting commander before retiring in 1996. Since then, he has delivered more than 1,000 speeches all over the country, and has been featured by top media outlets. For more information, visit www.danabowman.com.