Triumphant Return to the Skies

Fourteen months after losing his leg in a tragic boating accident, 1st Lt. Ryan McGuire will soon return to flight training at Laughlin AFB, Tex. McGuire is the first amputee on active duty to return to flight training, according to Laughlin officials. “When I first lost my leg, I never dreamed this day would come,” McGuire said after receiving word from the Air Force Secretary on Oct. 29 that he would again start training with Laughlin’s 47th Flight Training Wing. McGuire has by no means been sitting idle, competing in both the Warrior Games and the Air Force Marathon since his rehabilitation and fitment with a prosthetic limb. “I’ve never seen him down. . . . He’s always been pressing forward, trying to achieve his goals,” said Col. Michael Frankel, 47th FTW commander. (Laughlin report by Joel Langton)