World’s smallest bodybuilder [Video]

At 2 feet, 9 inches and a mere 19 pounds, Aditya “Romeo” Dev isn’t like other bodybuilders.

The 21-year-old from Punjab, India, weighs as much as the body armor worn by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that hasn’t stopped the little person from becoming a body builder.

Dev told “Good Morning America” today that the most he’s ever lifted is 10 pounds — about half his weight.

“From the very beginning I liked lifting the dumbbells and lifting weights,” he said through a translator. “I used to watch wrestling when I was a small kid and that’s how I got inspired.”

His hard work has paid off — three years ago the Guinness Book of World Records named him the world’s smallest body builder.

When he hit a Crunch gym in New York City, people flocked to him, picking him up for a pose and taking pictures.

And ladies, he’s available.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Dev said, with a shy grin.

Watch this story and see him in action: An Inside Look at the Littlest Bodybuilder

Soldier wounded in Iraq dives into new adventure [Video]

Great story!

Matt and Tracy Keil are exploring new adventures after a sniper’s bullet left Matt without the use of his arms and legs.

Keil is an Iraq War Veteran who nearly died in Iraq. His injuries left him a quadraplegic.

With his wife Tracy’s encouragement, Matt is facing his fear of the deep.

“I was nervous because I’m not sure how my regulator is going to work if my mask is going to fill up with water. Am I going to start choking on water?” said Keil.

Tracy is a certified diver. Now, she is hoping this could open up a new world for Matt.

“Always chair, couch, bed, shower, that’s it. So this is a nice opportunity for him to spend a little bit of time out of the chair,” said Tracy.

Matt’s volunteer helpers from Craig Hospital eased him around the shallow end of the pool.

One volunteer said it’s an amazing practice in trust. “Imagine you can’t move anything and somebody puts a regulator in your mouth, a mask on your face, and says ‘all right, we’re going to go underwater now,’ that’s trust.”

“Once I got comfortable it just seemed natural, it seemed fun. I was like, let’s go to the deep end right now! I’m ready, I’m ready for it,” said Keil.

“You’re floating in the water and doing something like this let’s you know even though you’re paralyzed and disabled, you can still go out and scuba dive. You can do anything,” said Keil.

Watch this story: Soldier Wounded In Iraq Dives Into New Adventure

Newest State Troopers: The banker, the soldier, the biologist and the mother [Video]

A banker, a stay-at-home mom and a flight paramedic. What do they all have in common? They all became Minnesota State Troopers.

This is the 52nd class of candidates to graduate from the Minnesota State Patrol Academy and it is the largest class in history. Almost half of the 72 new officers have a background in something other than law enforcement.

“There is a biologist in there, there is a baseball player, we have people from all walks of life,” said one graduate.

New trooper Gabriel Exman has a college degree in finance.

“I was a banker for Highway Federal Credit Union. I did that for about a year and then before that I worked for the Minnesota National Guard in Iraq,” said Exman.

For this class, the Minnesota State Patrol tried to find candidates with backgrounds other than law enforcement. Some of the candidates tried out because of economic conditions, like Leah Carpenter who left the patrol in 2004 to start a family.

“I have three small children, but my husband is a home builder and with the economy the way it is today, we made the decision that I would go back and work full time. And this is the only thing I could think of doing,” said Carpenter.

The State Patrol is proud of its history, going back to 1929, but the graduates will have some of the most diverse backgrounds the force has ever seen.

The graduation marks the end of 12 weeks of rigorous training for the new troopers. Each will now work with a veteran officer for one year before they go on solo patrol.

Watch this story: Banker, Mother, Biologist: All New State Troopers

Photo: From Flickr user chuck-reynolds’

Woman makes hundreds of Easter baskets for troops [Video]

Great story about a great lady!

The assembly line is up and running at Anna Schwass’ Amherst home where she and her friends are busy making more than 1200 Easter baskets for U.S. troops serving overseas.

“They sacrifice a lot and their families sacrifice a lot, and they don’t have the money to send stuff to them, shipments like that. They probably barely have enough to send stuff to the one person that’s out there,” said Schwass, whose brother is an Air Force pilot.

Friends and relatives come to her house at least once a week to help pack everything up.

“Whether people agree or disagree with the war. That’s fine. But we need to support our people over there. These guys and girls give their all, give their best, and they give their lives, so whatever we can do to make their lives a little easier for them we’ll do,” said Elizabeth Reitter.

 Schwass makes and sends the baskets using her own money. Shipping costs around $1200. At Christmas time, Schwass sends trees complete with decorations.

Read more, watch this story and find out how you can help Anna: Amherst Woman Makes Hundreds of Easter Baskets for Troops

A life of giving: Guardsman saves lives during Katrina and in Iraq [Video]

U.S Navy Captain Robert Lansden recently dropped in on a kindergarten class in Basra, Iraq.

“I want to thank them for being such beautiful children,” he told a translator.

The children may not realize it, but Lansden played a vital role in the rebuilding of their classrooms.

For Lansden, a naval reservist, it’s been an unlikely journey that began on August 29th, 2005. The day Katrina hit his hometown of New Orleans, Lansden was captain of the U.S.N.S. Pollux, a merchant marine ship docked on the riverfront for repairs.

“I knew the city,” he recalled. “I was from there. I knew the high ground from the low ground.”

The Pollux happened to be marooned in New Orleans as Katrina roared ashore, undergoing repairs. Its engines were out, but it was loaded with several hundred thousand gallons of diesel fuel and fresh water. In a city that could not function, the Pollux was an island of modern convenience.

“I saw my own city destroyed,” Lansden remembers, “and I worked really hard to help bring that city back up.”

Only miles from the Pollux, the situation at West Jefferson Medical Center was in sharp contrast. For days, the hospital staff and patients suffered with no electricity and no running water.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Robert Lansden showed up at the hospital, offering help.

“I was blessed to have that ability and to have ridden through the storm, to already be there,” he says.

Lansden got permission from his navy bosses to share his supplies: diesel, water, even the ship itself. Dialysis machines and close to a dozen dialysis patients were actually loaded up from West Jeff and driven to the Pollux.

After the Katrina experience, Lansden volunteered for duty in another country in need of rebuilding. Today, he is director of CMOC, the U.S. Army’s Civil Military Operations Center, which rebuilds roads, schools and public buildings in some of the most dangerous areas of Iraq.

Read more and watch this great story about a great man — a true hero: La. National Guardsman saves lives during Katrina and in Iraq

Soldier virtually present for son’s birth [Video]

Staff Sergeant Timothy Scott was able to welcome in son, Brody Cole, into the world Friday even though he was a thousand miles away from the hospital.

Scott was able to witness the birth form the frontlines in Iraq thanks to a satellite network.

Watch that story: Soldier Virtually Present For Son’s Birth

Photo: Flickr user Leo Ferraz