NAMES IN THE NEWS : Paraplegic Touts Active Life

Bill Demby, a Vietnam War veteran who lost both legs in a rocket attack in 1971, tells youngsters that his disabilities don’t stop him from enjoying life to the full.

The former Army private is featured in a television commercial by Du Pont, which manufactures a plastic used in his artificial legs. He travels around the country, often to cities with Du Pont plants, to offer hard-earned advice to high school students.

“I hope kids can find something in my story that will help them out when times get hard,” he said during a visit Monday to Omaha Northwest High School. “Maybe when they see my life, they’ll realize that they’re not so bad off.”

Demby said he cannot run as fast as before, nor can he jump as high.

“But I get out there and play,” he said, “and if you give me half a chance, I’ll burn the nets off you.”

After returning from the war, Demby said he fell into a cycle of drug and alcohol abuse until, one night in a bar, a friend told him, “You don’t need this.” Since then, Demby said, he has made a slow, steady recovery.

“Sometimes you’ve just got to kick yourself in the rear and get going,” he said.