Mike was born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1988 and joined the U.S. Army in 2005 at just 17 years old. He completed multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2009, while on patrol in Afghanistan, his vehicle was struck by RPGs and small-arms fire, injuring Mike and his crew. He was medevac’d back to the United States, where he recovered and was honorably discharged in 2010 after sustaining paralysis to the lower half of his body.
Even after years of struggling with health issues, diagnoses, and multiple brain and back surgeries, Mike chose to continue living life to the fullest. Unfortunately, in 2021, he was involved in a serious skydiving accident that resulted in the amputation of both legs above the knee.
With his “never accept defeat” attitude and relentless drive, Mike still skydives today and is best known on social media and within the skydiving community as “Wheelchair Skydiver.”
He credits skydiving for saving his life and giving him a renewed sense of purpose after military service.
Mike now advocates for veterans’ mental health by speaking and skydiving into events as a professional skydiving demonstrator and motivational speaker, proving that veterans and people with disabilities can still thrive in adventurous and challenging professions and sports.
He has earned his professional skydiving demonstration rating and enjoys performing at sporting and special events, proudly flying the American flag—further demonstrating his patriotism and serving as a powerful example of a “no excuses” mindset.
His military awards include the Bronze Star with Valor (for heroism), the Purple Heart (for combat injury), and many others.
Mike Vasquez Skydiving Demos & Speaking, LLC 