BY JARRAD HEDES Times Staff Writer

You can't give these arms to just anybody," Brandt said. "As soon as I saw Berkley walk in, however, I knew this would be a perfect fit for him."

According to Brandt, a myo-electric arm is powered by muscle contractions which trigger the electrodes to send a signal to the arm.

"I took an impression from the part of his arm that remained and sent that mold to a laboratory in Canada," said Brandt. "They fabricated a limb and sent it back to me, where I had Berkley test it to check the socket stage and signal strength. It fit him perfectly so we sent it back, and three weeks ago they sent the final fabrication."

Surprisingly, after 10 years without a left arm, it didn't take Naugle long to perfect his new limb.

"The weight took some getting used to, but now I'm doing so many things I couldn't do for the past 10 years, with that arm," said Naugle.

Some of those activities include holding a can of soda, or a newspaper and reaching the turn signal in his car without sticking his hand through the space in the steering wheel.

"I always had to set the news-paper down on the table before, now I can hold it with both hands and read it."

An anti-slip censor in Naugle's thumb automatically tightens the grip if a can or other object begins to slip out of his hand.

"I couldn't cut real well before so I always ordered ground chuck or something easy like that," Naugle explained. "Just last week was my birthday and the family took me to a steak house and I was cutting the steak with a fork and knife."

One of the hobbies Naugle plans to continue is his wood-working, which he enjoyed even with one hand. Even without the joints, he can now rotate the myo-electric hand manually so he can grip items from different angles. This will be a help for his decorative airplanes for children, which are a big hit in the community.

"They used to call me the one-handed craftsman, but that will have to change now. I used to do this just for fun, but people heard about it and started asking if I could make some for them. I may sell them all in a show one day, but for now, it's just something I like to do."

Naugle served in the military during the Vietnam War, where he was wounded several times.

"It's amazing when I think back on it. As part of the air rescue team, I was shot down in North Vietnam and was very lucky to survive," said Naugle. "Through all that time, I never lost a limb and when I came back home, an accident took away my arm."

When he's out in public, it's hard to notice Naugle's arm is artificial, and it could become even less visible. The hand has a closure rate almost equal to a real one, and according to Brandt, the difference is not visible to the eye. Brandt is working to purchase a glove that would look nearly identical to Naugle's right hand and run about halfway up his arm.

"A picture of his right hand could be taken, sent away and the labs would ship a glove back that would fit right over his hand and people would have to look two or three times to tell that the hand is artificial," said Brandt. "They even add hair to the glove to make it look real."

The arm sounds like it may run a pretty large bill, but for Naugle it didn't cost a penny. As a retired military veteran, Naugle's Medicare paid for 80 percent and Tricare for Life paid the other 20 percent of the fees.

"Many veterans don't know about Tricare for Life or that it's available but it really is a great thing," Naugle added.

Brandt noted that the cost for a myo-electric arm starts around $5,000, but it depends on the level of amputation and the components the person is able to use.

"Many people may get scared off by the price and that shouldn't be the case," said Brandt. "It all depends on the insurance companies."

Brandt is a Gettysburg native himself, but he has traveled frequently in his career before ending up back in Adams County.

"I've worked in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia among other places, but I wanted to come back here. I want people to realize how neat it is for this type of thing to be available here and not have to go all the way to Hershey. It's right in their own backyard."

Naugle believes the credit for this success story belongs to Brandt.

"I couldn't be happier that I went to see him," said Naugle. "So many amputees get depressed after something like this happens. They think they'll never be normal again and have a hobby or job. If any amputee needs someone to talk to them and help lift their spirits, I will do that. This is the kind of thing where you can never ever give up."

Jarrad Hedes can be reached at jhedes@gburgtimes.com