Veteran turned Paralympic champion runs with El Paso community, pay tribute to other veterans

EL PASO, Texas -- A marine veteran who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan chose to make the best of his situation, becoming a Paralympic champion, and raising awareness for veterans across the country including here in the Borderland.

Rob Jones, who's made national headlines over the last decade, made his way to El Paso to speak to the Young President's Organization chapter Thursday. He also took the time to get to know the running community here in El Paso and come together for a 5k run.

Several runners gathered at Up and Running in west El Paso.

Jones was a combat engineer in the marine corps, tasked with finding improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan back in 2010.

He unfortunately stepped on an IED which resulted in double above knee amputations.

While it felt like he lost his purpose, jones turned his situation around gaining courage and strength to keep going.

He's now a Paralympic champion in rowing, has run multiple marathons, and now runs, bikes, and rows, to pay tribute to fellow veterans and active military.

He says he hopes to inspire others to keep going and teach his philosophy called 'use the weight'

"When you have a weight on your shoulders, you can sit there and hold on to it, or you can lift it up over your head, and every time you lift it up, your body adapts to it," Jones said. "So my philosophy is to use difficulties, new stresses, and the same exact way you can figure out a way to use a stress to make you stronger, instead of letting it just weigh you down and weigh you down."

Sarah Farms also supported the run, even providing beverages and snacks for runners.

To learn more about Jones and his story, click here.