Derek Weida

ABOUT DEREK WEIDA

Army veteran turned bodybuilder known for his advocacy of other military members suffering from depression. Crediting exercise with helping him out of a dark period after his forced military retirement, he co-founded The Next Objective to help other veterans access and afford fitness tools.

An army paratrooper who had dreams of being a career military member, he was shot through the right knee in Baghdad in 2007. Although doctors initially thought he would be able to return to active service, he was eventually medically retired.

He eventually had his right leg amputated above the knee in 2011 and replaced with a prosthetic. He has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram.

He grew up in Minnesota, where he returned after retiring from active duty.

The value of fitness and strength for veterans has been epitomized in the Invictus Games, which were created by British military veteran Prince Harry .