ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Alex Dillmann made jump 113 even with a bolt coming loose on the custom leg brace he designed, the landing went smoothly.
“That was number 113," Dillmann said. "A little malfunction but we adapted.”
Adapting is what this Army veteran has had to do since a 2011 IED explosion in Afghanistan left him paralyzed.
“A good friend of mine Sgt. Christopher Gould, he was killed," Dillmann recalled. "He was a foot and a half away from him.”
The Army awarded Dillmann a Purple Heart for his service. But it was the love of his wife and seven-year-old son that really helped him.
“I want to show him regardless of your circumstances you can do whatever you want if you find the right people,” Dillmann said of his son.
Dillman had never jumped out of an airplane before his injury, now it’s a regular part of his life.
He began with tandem jumps at Sky Dive City in Zephyrhills, but quickly started jumping solo.
“I was terrified of skydiving. I don’t know how he had the courage to be like hey in my condition I’m still gonna go for it," said friend Rian Kanouff.
Now, Dillmann and others are working to show others with disabilities the rush of skydiving. They are starting a non-profit called Skydive First.
“I think that will open other doors for them to start other things or set them down a new path. But that’s the idea to get someone with limited mobility to do something outrageous," said Dillmann.
Skydiving out of an airplane without the use of your legs may seem outrageous to some. But Dillmann spent this Veterans Day adding to his triple-digit jump total.
Sunday, he’ll be honored by the Leatherheads Tailgate before the Bucs game as part of Salute To Service Day.
