Derek Weida, tattooed, Army veteran, amputee and all around bad-ass

Derek Weida, tattooed, Army veteran, amputee and all around bad-ass. Derek Weida is our Independence Day Hero. He has overcome adversity that most common men couldn’t fathom. An amputee Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division, credits fitness with helping him break out of severe depression after an insurgent’s bullet ended his Army career. He has shared his struggles and maintains humble admitting defeats and lows. He continues to be an inspiration to other wounded vets, amputees, fitness enthusiasts…everyone.

“Settling is something we learn not to do through experience. We’ve all had those moments in life when, at the end of a task, we know we performed like shit. That’s a horrible feeling! But it’s from these experiences that we learn we never want to feel that way so over time we stop settling, we stop making excuses, stop our bitching, and just get shit done. Fuck settling. Who wakes up in the morning and says, “I want to be half as good as I can be today?” Don’t forget what your purpose is. Stay focused, stay vigilant, and fuck you some life up!”
–Derek Weida (www.derekweida.com)
Derek’s charity, The Next Objective, created by himself and managed by Sean Endsley. It helps ex-service men and women rehabilitate back into society after active duty which helps them reintegrate back into their communities.
Learn more about it here: http://www.thenextobjective.org/
“You have a bunch of faces tattooed on your body, can you tell us a little bit about a few of them? It’s interesting…you can really see the pain I was in by the faces on my tattoos. They’re mostly all original art, things Billy and I created together. Everybody is screaming and there’s a demon choking an angel on my arm. I wasn’t in a good place mentally and I wear those years on my skin now. It’s a good reminder that I’ve come a long way. I’m ready to start getting new work done. I think tattoos tell stories of where we’re at in life. I think most of my work moving forward will have a more “triumphant” tone. (inkedmag.com AUTHOR: ROCKY)