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 Staff Sgt. John Kriesel was given a very special gift this week in a celebration in Washington D.C.
Kriesel lost both of his legs during a roadside bombing in Iraq last year. He told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he never dreamed he’d be able to play with his kids like he used to.
"I have two sons and they were hard to keep up with when I had legs, you know?" joked Kriesel.
Two prosthetic legs helped him to walk, but at a slow rate. It wasn’t until he saw a Segway during his treatment that he considered other possibilities.
"I saw the Segway they had donated to Walter Reed to get people started and I said those are neat. How do I get one?" said Kriesel.
He applied for one through a group called DRAFT or Disability Rights Advocates For Technology.
The group's founder, Jerry Kerr, uses private donations to buy Segways for injured veterans.
"It's about designing a product that doesn't draw attention to our disability. People that are using a Segway for mobility, they're not regarded immediately as disabled," explained Kerr.
Staff Sgt. Kriesel was one of 33 amputee veterans to receive a Segway in a ceremony in Washington D.C. this week.
"I can't even describe how much it's going mean to me and my kids. Now when they want to go for bike rides, I can cruise along next to them," Kriesel said.
The foundation donated 70 Segways in 2007 and hopes to give away 250 this year.
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