Staff Sgt. Murnane, a native of Salisbury, Md., is a member of the Army National Guard’s Special Forces team. His right leg was amputated below the knee in November 2009 after he was injured by a bomb in eastern Afghanistan. This August, he became the first guardsman to jump from an aircraft with a prosthetic limb. He continues to be treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Were you nervous before the jump?
Absolutely. Before going up, there was a whole bunch of stuff in my mind. Initially, I didn’t know if the safety measures I had put in place were going to hold the prosthetic on. I was kind of worried that I might lose it, so I actually ended up duct-taping the bottom of my pants around the prosthesis so even if the system failed I had a fail-safe.
What was it like losing a limb during your service?
From day one, it was pretty much I had my sights set out and I told myself I’m going to get through this and make it work. The rest is kind of history.
Talk about the mission that led to your injury.
I stepped on a pressure plate, IED or improvised explosive device. I remember everything. I was conscious. I remember seeing the ground turn upside down and just starting thinking to myself, “This is actually it.” But after probably 30 seconds, I realized it was bad, but it wasn’t bad enough to the point that I was going to die right there.
Did that experience change your mind-set about war or the military?
Not at all. … You realize there’s a large, inherent risk going into it. I’ve been really happy the entire time and feel really fortunate that that’s all it was, that I only lost my leg out of the deal. I’ve had a lot of friends that have paid the ultimate price for wanting to be in that community and do the things we do.
– Anna Waugh
