Damien Thomlinson Damien Thomlinson is an Australian commando , swimmer , rally car navigator , para - snowboarder and Author . He joined the Australian Army in 2005 , and went on to serve in Afghanistan . While serving with the 2nd Commando Regiment in Tarin Kowt District in April 2009 , the vehicle he was in drove over an improvised explosive planted by the Taliban . Thomlinson was severely injured , suffering wounds to his face , arms and legs ; the damage to his legs was so severe that they were amputated . After undergoing extensive rehabilitation , he stayed with his unit in a desk job . In June 2011 , to honour the memory of a friend who died in Afghanistan , he walked the long Kokoda Track on rubber prosthetic legs as part of a 25 - man team of Australian soldiers . Thomlinson regularly participates in Targa rally races where he serves as Team Legacy Assist ' s navigator . He is also involved in snowboarding , having taken up the sport prior to his injury . He competed for the Australian Defence Force at the 2011 US Marine Corps Paralympic Trials / Exercise Wounded Warrior competition , and is attempting to qualify for the 2014 Winter Paralympics . Outside of these sports , he is a fan of the Sydney City Roosters and has participated in events connected to them and other teams in the National Rugby League . He has written a biography entitled " Without Warning " . Military . Thomlinson joined the Army through the Special Forces Direct Recruiting Scheme in December 2005 , and qualified as an elite commando at the age of 24 . During his period in the Army ' s combat units he completed advanced training combat courses . He earned five medals for his service , and has participated in Remembrance Day activities . Because of his military service , he was profiled by the Australian " Sixty Minutes " in 2010 . While still actively serving , Thomlinson has worked to raise funds for the Commando Welfare Trust , an organisation to assist veterans of commando units . In 2009 , Thomlinson was a private serving with the 2nd Commando Regiment in Tarin Kowt District of South Afghanistan . While on night patrol on 3 April 2009 , the vehicle he was in ran over an improvised explosive device planted by the Taliban . The explosion caused extensive damage to his body that resulted in both of his legs being amputated , as one leg was completely obliterated and the other was torn off below the knee . His arms were also severely injured , with the elbow on his right arm coming out through a hole . Both hands and wrists were broken and he had a dislocated shoulder . He also broke his nose and tore his lips . He nearly choked on blood from his cut lips pouring down his throat . The sound of him wheezing alerted others to the fact that he was still alive . His best friend , Private Scott Palmer , aided him by providing immediate medical attention following the explosion in an act that saved Thomlinson ' s life . Thomlinson was subsequently evacuated Germany for treatment , and has no memory of the actual incident . While in rehabilitation , he learned how to walk again within several months , with some of his later recovery taking place at the Pain Management Research Institute at Royal North Shore Hospital . He does not have any problems with phantom limb issues that other amputees sometimes deal with . In 2010 , Thomlinson had a $ 70 , 000 C - Leg made by Otto Bock that was equipped with a microprocessor which assisted in controlling the knee joint . Following his injury , Thomlinson stayed with the 2nd Commando Regiment , holding a desk job in the unit in August 2010 . During that period , his claim with Veterans Affairs was still being dealt with because they look at permanent disability only after that disability has stabilised and his condition had not become stable until a month or so before then . He continued to work in a development role for the Australian Defence Force in 2012 . In June 2011 , Thomlinson walked the long Kokoda Track on rubber prosthetic legs as part of a team of 25 Australian soldiers , including several other soldiers with disabilities , as part of an effort to honour Palmer , who had been killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan a week before he had been due to return to Australia . The pair had talked about walking the Track together before Palmer ' s death . Palmer ' s father accompanied Thomlinson in memory of his son and that goal of walking the Track together . Thomlinson ' s disability was the most severe of all those who did the trek . The trek was not the first time Thomlinson had done something in memory of Palmer ; in 2010 , he watched a charity footy match held in honour of Palmer between two teams from the Northern Territory . The prosthetic Thomlinson had in 2011 was made from carbon fibre , and Thomlinson did not have a regular gait . Thomlinson is a fan of the Parramatta Eels , and in 2011 attended a team training session and addressed the team before a game . He was also interviewed by FOX Sports before the start of the 2011 Anzac Day match between the Sydney Roosters and the St . George - Illawarra Dragons . Auto racing . Thomlinson regularly participates in Targa rally races where he serves as Team Legacy Assist ' s navigator . In this role , he raised money for the Commando Welfare Trust by competing at the six - day Targa Tasmania classic car rally in April 2011 . He took a ride in the # 5 Orrcon Steel Ford Performance Racing Falcon at Sydney Olympic Park with the V8 Supercars driver , Mark Winterbottom , in December 2011 . Para - sport . Thomlinson snowboarded prior to being wounded by the Taliban , and took up the sport within a year or two of the event . He went on to be coached by Peter Higgins at the Perisher Ski Resort by 2010 . In February 2011 , he participated in the North American military programme Ex Wounded Warrior , run by the Canadian Soldier On Program and the United States Marine Corp ' s Wounded Warrior Regiment , where he learned more about snowboarding in Merville , British Columbia . By 2012 , he was trying to make the 2014 Sochi bound Australian Paralympic Winter Games team . Thomlinson competed at the February 2011 US Marine Corps Paralympic Trials / Exercise Wounded Warrior competition where he represented the Australian Defence Force in swimming . His team earned 1 bronze medal , 11 silver medals and 12 gold medals at the event , with Thomlinson accounting for a gold in the 200m relay and a silver in the 50m freestyle event . Minister for Defence Science and Personnel Warren Snowdon welcomed his team back to Australia following the event . In May 2011 , he was on hand to watch four Australian Defence Force personnel compete at the Arafura Games and Oceania Paralympic Championships .