Giant Hero

You may recall Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, noted here last year prior to the New York Giants win over New England in Super Bowl XLII. Well, he's still recovering from wounds resulting in the amputation of both legs above the knee and has been been fit with a pair of high-tech prosthetic legs.

Meet the Bionic Fan.

Iraq war hero and double amputee Lt. Col. Greg Gadson -- whose bravery helped inspire the New York Giants to their last Super Bowl victory -- recently became the first person in the world to land a pair of super-high-tech prosthetic legs that practically think for themselves.

Gadson was made an honorary co-captain of the team and credited as a driving force behind Big Blue's success.

And, at the next Super Bowl, he hopes to be jumping for joy -- literally.

"I was in a wheelchair last time," he said. "Next time, hopefully I'll be up there with the team."

Gadson -- who lost both legs above the knee when his convoy was hit by a roadside bomb two years ago -- has been fitted with the Power Knee, a revolutionary, battery-powered prosthetic developed by Icelandic company Ossur.

"[The prosthetic's] intelligent," Gadson said last week from his home in Virginia. "It gauges my weight, my speed . . . It's the closest thing to normal legs that I've experienced.

"The difference is if you're walking on a normal prosthetic and you step in a pothole in the street, you're going to fall. With this, it's going to accommodate that.

"Going from a regular prosthetic to this is like going from driving a school bus to a top-of-the-range sports car," he said.

Gadson was in Walter Reed hospital two years ago when he was visited by Mike Sullivan, a former teammate from a West Point football squad and an assistant to Giants coach Tom Coughlin.

Sullivan invited Gadson and his family to a game in DC, where the injured warrior spoke to the team about perseverance, spirit and teamwork.

That day, the Giants began a six-game winning streak that took them to Super Bowl XLII.

"The credit I got was a little strong," Gadson said of the wins. "I didn't play. I didn't call a play. But that season, we formed a special bond, and I like to think we inspired each other and helped each other realize what we are capable of."

More here.

Gadson, 43, of Fort Belvoir, is an Army officer whose legs were amputated above the knees and the first person in the world to receive the completed version of the second generation of the Ossur Power Knee prosthetics device.

"The biggest difference is just how smoothly they operate, obviously the appearance," he said. "These knees are lot lighter, they're quieter and they have a lot longer battery life, so that makes them logistically a lot easier for a bilateral to manage."

According to developers of the power knee, ground contact sensors allow users to control and manage their walking without thinking about it and the device provides maximum support in any given angle of flexion as soon as contact with the ground is made, while allowing for a natural and easy gait.

"These legs really mimic how you walk," Gadson continued. "This is much more natural. I can already see myself doing things that I would normally not do, like going shopping and browsing instead of just going in to get something."

Here's more from Ossur's website.