Disabled veteran surprised with all-terrain wheelchair

A disabled veteran from the Twin Falls, Idaho, area was in Idaho Falls Thursday. He got more than he bargained for in a real good way.

Mark Yearsley lost his leg in the Gulf War, but he hasn’t let 20 surgeries and a wheelchair slow him down at all. He leads the group called “Outdoor Salute to Veterans.” He’s basically an outfitter that takes other disabled veterans on camping, hunting, and fishing trips all around Idaho.

Thursday, he thought he was just getting a motorized wheelchair. He didn’t know about the six-wheeled all-terrain powerhouse chair that was waiting as a surprise.

“It’s going to serve many veterans. Unbelievable. Thank you guys. ‘Outdoor Salute to Veterans’ is going to serve many veterans. Many veterans are going to get much use out of this. They are going to be able to go places that they’ve never been. They’re going to live again, get back out in the wilderness and go. Thank you,” said Yearsley, thanking the group of veterans that gave him the chair.

He did get both chairs. They were donated to the local chapter 972 of Vietnam Veterans of America. They refurbish the motorized wheelchairs for disabled vets and their families.