Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samuel Deeds. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Samuel, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
After getting medically retired from the United States Marine Corps I had lost my sense of purpose and direction. In that I had also lost my identity. I had been a Marine since 3 days after graduating high school so, it was basically the only thing I had ever known as an adult. A few years after retiring I found myself at an event for Purple Heart recipients. The event was being put on by Team Fastrax, a professional skydive team based in Middletown, Ohio. About a week after the event the team was performing close to my house so the family and I went to watch. Toward the end of the performance an incident occurred and one of the jumpers was injured. I jumped the fence to assist the team and a few weeks later I received an invitation to join the team, well fill out an application. I’m getting ready to start my 13th season with Team Fastrax. Sometimes an act of kindness creates great opportunities.
Samuel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Samuel Deeds, I served in the United States Marine Corps for a little over 14 years before getting medically retired in 2011 due to wounds received during combat operations near Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq in 2005. Since the fall of 2014 I have served as a Ground Safety Specialist for Team Fastrax, a professional skydive team who performs all over the World. This is one of the careers that no one ever talks about. How one turns their passion into a profession all while bringing joy to the communities that you are performing for. Team Fastrax is the largest commercial skydive team in the World and we’re located in Middletown, Ohio. We have team members spread across the entire United States which allows us to operate anywhere within the US at a moments notice. At any given time we can have 4-6 smaller teams spread across the Globe. What separates us from other teams is that we create our show based on the clients needs and budget. Our Director of Skydive Operations has numerous calls/ emails with each client to ensure we are on the same page and are bringing them the best show possible. If the client wants an all female show, we can support that. If they want an all military show, we can do that as well. Large flags, smoke, pryo (both day and night) or even a live shot of what is actually happening in real time, we can provide that as well. No show is too big or too small for Team Fastrax
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My life from March 20 2005 to now shows great resilience. I was injured by a roadside bomb that left me lying in a dark street in Iraq. I suffered a grade two concussion, a 1/3 open tibia fracture, multiple shrapnel wounds to my upper and lower left quad, two broken metacarpals in my left hand, shrapnel to my left forearm, right hand, right groin, my head and a traumatic brain injury. I had to learn to walk all over again, I had to go through a lot of cognitive function testing and training. I couple years later i would develop some internal complications that would require extensive surgery and result in recurring bouts of cholangitis which puts me in the hospital for 4-6 days each year. Every surgery, every hospital stay is a huge kick in the rear and a massive step backward but, each and every time with the help of my wife and kids I dig deep and keep putting one foot in front of the other. To date I’ve undergone 40+ surgeries and procedures and numerous hospital stays.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
It didn’t start off this way but now each Team Fastrax performance is dedicated to a fallen service member or first responder. The Director of Skydive Operations will research to find someone who made the ultimate sacrifice on the day of the performance and select one. Example; if we have a show on March 1, he will find someone who passed on March 1. The year of death is not as important as the day. You see, the day of death is remembered by all who knew and loved that service member or first responder. A friend or family member might be scrolling through social media or even do an internet search of their loved ones name and come across a social media post from Team Fastrax and see a photo of their loved one who we had honored at a performance. This is our way to let the family know that their sacrifice is not forgotten and neither is their loved one. The team prints off a photo of the deceased honoree takes a pre jump picture, folds the photo of the fallen hero and puts it in their pocket (which happens to be over their heart), after the jump the team takes the photo out and takes another picture. The team then passes the photo of the fallen hero on to someone in the crowd and tells them about the fallen hero.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://teamfastrax.com
- Instagram: @teamfastrax
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamFastrax/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-fastrax
- Twitter: @teamfastrax
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TeamFastrax
Image Credits
Team Fastrax