Paratrooper who lost both legs in war carries Olympic torch

(CBS News) Ben Parkinson, a Paratrooper who was injured in Afghanistan in 2006 and lost both legs below the knee, carried the Olympic torch through his hometown of Doncaster, England, Tuesday.

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Parkinson's battlefield injuries also included a broken pelvis, four breaks in his back, a shattered arm and chest and a massive brain injury.

He was greeted by hundreds of people while he walked for almost half an hour, assisted by someone who supported his arm, reports the BBC.

"I'm just about managing to keep it together," said his commanding officer Major David Walker to the BBC. "Ben's tenacity and sheer courage and determination is absolutely amazing."

The Olympic Flame is now on day 39 of a 70-day relay involving 8,000 torchbearers covering 8,000 miles. It is to arrive at the Olympic stadium in London on July 27, opening day of the Games.