Jet Aviation St. Louis awarded an impressive piece of machinery to an equally impressive individual at NBAA 2014 in Orlando on Tuesday. Former U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Shumaker, who suffered severe wounds when he and other members of his gun crew were struck by a Taliban shell in Afghanistan in May 2010, received his customized John Deere “Gator” all-terrain vehicle in a ceremony at the Jet Aviation exhibit (Booth 1200).
“One of things that I’m proud of at our company is that we employ a lot of veterans,” said Chuck Krugh, Jet Aviation St. Louis senior vice-president and general manager, adding that Jet personnel who have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines were also in attendance at the event.
Painted olive drab, of course, the vehicle features a front grille, headlight buckets, hood and front CV-joint attachment points made from carbon fiber, as a connection to the material used in Shumaker’s prosthetics. A specialized, fold-down grill guard features the Latin motto of Shumaker’s regiment, the Bravo 3-321st Field Artillery Regiment with the 82nd Airborne, which translates to “Touch Me Not.” The steering wheel hub includes Shumaker’s Purple Heart medal.
In all, the Gator includes some 50 changes or additions to the stock vehicle, customized specifically for Shumaker by Jet Aviation employees. A fully trimmed interior includes a custom stereo system, and behind the cabin the Army Airborne’s “AA” symbol is incorporated into a rendering of the St. Louis Arch.
Shumaker, whose wounds required amputating his left leg above the knee, was visibly moved by the presentation. “It’s way beyond anything I was thinking,” the 27-year-old said quietly, adding that the redesigned front end reminded him of a military Humvee, which was “perfect.”
His wife and toddler son joined Shumaker on the show floor, thanks to a special waiver from NBAA’s traditional “no kids” rule, according to Krugh.
Tuesday’s Wounded Warrior presentation was Jet Aviation’s second in as many years at an NBAA convention. The company awarded a customized Harley-Davidson motorcycle at last year’s in Las Vegas to U.S. Army Specialist Chad Hembree.
