As Keith Soules sprinted past the finish line last week, he realized that his legs -- one natural, the other a prosthetic -- had brought him full circle.
After finishing a grueling physical test, which included a 1.5-mile sprint and agility exercises, the former soldier is ready to rejoin his SWAT compadres in the Spartanburg, South Carolina, Department of Public Safety, HLN affiliate WSPA reports.
“I was relieved, very relieved,” he told the the Spartanburg Herald Journal. “I wish it could have been quicker. I wish it could have been six months ago but it didn't work out that way.”
But six months ago, Soules was still recovering from a pre-Valentine's Day 2011 crash that changed his life forever. The Marines veteran was riding his motorcycle on his way home when he was broadsided by a vehicle. The impact threw Soules from his bike, eventually leading to the amputation of his leg.
Some people may have been satisfied just to return to work -- Soules was relegated to office duty -- but the restless lawman aspired to do more: He wanted to rejoin his tactical team.
On Friday, with friends and family cheering him on, he took a major step.
“The Lord really blessed him through this, through the healing process and everything else,” his father Clayton Soules told the Herald Journal. “We knew he could run, but we sweated it. The younger Soules aced through a session of push-ups, pull-ups and even rope-climbing. “But the rope? That took everything he had getting the leg to wrap around,” his father said.
“I knew he would do well,” Spartanburg Public Safety Capt. Art Littlejohn -- who after the test recommended that Soules be allowed to rejoin the SWAT team -- told the Journal. “I think he's an inspiration to everyone -- that something like that can happen to you, and you don't have to stop.”
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