Photojournalist Joao Silva lost both his legs and much of his intestinal tract while working in Afganistan last October, but decided to take up an invitation to return to work for a very special assignment.

After a tragic period when we lost such great photojournalists as Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, it's a relief and an inspriation to see that Silva has made a albeit brief return to work.

Silva was asked to photograph Dakota Meyer's Medal of Honor ceremony. Although he still has a long period of physical therapy to combat the pain and limitations of his new artifical legs, he was still frustrated that he wasn't getting the shots he wanted. The first thing he whispered, as the president greeted Mr. Meyer at the Oval Office entrance, was this: “I missed that.”

We wish Silva a speedy recovery so he can get back to getting those perfect shots ASAP.

See his images of the day in the New York Times article.