Sergeant Dan Rose walks tonight on WWE SmackDown
The folks at World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. sent us a story about Sergeant Dan Rose who was paralyzed in an IED blast in 2011.
SoldierSocks, a non-profit foundation focused on helping veterans, announced today that their ambassador, Dan Rose, a veteran living with paralysis, will be a special guest at WWE’s SmackDown tonight in Albany, NY. The SmackDown episode will air this Friday, November 7 at 8 PM ET on Syfy.
Dan Rose was in the Army Reserves for 10 years and served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Zahri District and Horn of Panjiwae in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan until he was injured by an Improvised Explosive Device on April 27, 2011. The blast was estimated to have come from approximately 1,000 pounds of explosives and he was left paralyzed from the chest down (T4). Dan teamed up with SoldierSocks, who provided him with the Ekso Bionics GT™ robotic exoskeleton, which enables individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness or paralysis to stand up and walk.
“This first time I stood up and looked across the room, it was like reaching the summit of a mountain and looking down on the world,” said SGT Rose. “I’m so grateful for my partnership with SoldierSocks and as a WWE fan, I’m looking forward to sharing my story at SmackDown.”
“Every day, members of the military put their lives on the line to help protect our country,” said SoldierSocks co-founder Chris Meek. “When they return home, they are faced with the challenges of re-acclimating to civilian life. Additionally, some have been critically wounded or paralyzed in the line of duty. We are honored to be raising awareness with partners such as WWE to help wounded veterans stand strong in the face of adversity.”
“WWE has a longstanding commitment to the military and we are extremely grateful for the sacrifices of our nation’s heroes,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “We are proud to host Sergeant Rose as our special guest at SmackDown, and humbled by his perseverance and will to push through any obstacle that he faces.”
Ekso Bionics designs, develops, and commercializes exoskeletons, or wearable robots, which have a variety of applications in the medical, military, industrial, and consumer markets. Exoskeletons are ready-to-wear, battery-powered robots that are strapped over the user’s clothing, enabling individuals to achieve mobility, strength, and endurance not otherwise possible. Ekso has redefined rehabilitation for people living with the consequences of stroke, spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions affecting gait.
With nearly 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, only behind WWE’s other flagship program, Monday Night Raw®. Averaging 3.1 million viewers each week, SmackDown beats all Friday primetime viewing on any cable network.
Category: Real Soldiers
The advances being made in medical technology are simply incredible!! We had a demonstration of this at the VA not too long ago.
Amazing to see someone walk again, who otherwise never would again on their own.
Things like this used to be the stuff of science fiction. With all the advances we see now, I foresee the day – in the not too distant future – when a spinal cord injury that today leads to permanent paralysis will be a temporary thing, treatable and even reversible. And all done from the inside where no one can see it.
So much win in this story.
Gravel…Roger That and +1000!
Say what you want about the McMahons, but WWE goes out of their way to support, feature, bring attention to, and perform for servicemembers worldwide. I am sure that Vince has a personal stake in this, I just don’t know what it is.
Gotta be honest, I don’t care what his stake is as long as we keep getting good stories like this.
WWE and Vince have backed our troops for a long time and don’t get the cudos that they deserve. They were one of the first entertainment shows to head into the Sandbox and bring smiles to our men and women. John Cena was on that I think. Here is just one of the shows in Iraq from 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-1btHnHXA4
Good for them, good for Ekso and a giant hand clap for Sgt. Rose.