Stories

Paralysis won’t stop this Soldier from achieving dreams
August 4, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va.- Don’t ever think lightening doesn’t strike twice… just ask Army Staff Sergeant Jack DeLeuw. The Team Army athlete opens up about his motorcycle accidents that landed him in two Soldier Recovery Units within five years of each other. “I already had thorough knowledge of the SRU/WTB Process at Fort Sam-Houston, TX back in 2016-2017 following my first motorcycle accident on Oct 30th, 2015,” said the Army Cavalry Scout. Thankful that the Soldier Recovery Unit was there, he never expected to be back in one. Almost five years to the date another motorcycle accident happened... MORE

Team Army Coach Says Small Progress is still Victory
July 11, 2022 — Three time All American basketball player and coach of the UCLA Bruins, John Wooden once said “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.” Team Army Coach Adriane Wilson does both, every day when she works with wounded, ill and injured Soldiers getting ready to compete somewhere... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jack Deleuw practices for the 100- meter wheelchair race with Team Army Coach Adriane Wilson at Army Trials May 8, 2022, at Fort Bragg North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Spc. Aleksander Fomin

How the Walter Reed SRU helped a soccer player - turned -Soldier tackle Cancer
June 28, 2022 — Jamaican born Roy Thompson always dreamed of joining the United States Army. That dream began with a sports scholarship. “I came to the United States on a Soccer Scholarship… I played for East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. After college I joined the Army National Guard and fell in love with it. After my commitment to the guard, I went active duty.”... MORE

Staff Sgt. Roy Thompson and fellow Soldiers add to the bounty of fish caught on a trip from the Walter Reed Soldier Recovery unit at Taylors Island Delaware in 2021

Permanent neurological condition won’t stop this Soldier from competing
May 9, 2022 — To say U.S. Army Cpl. Tiffanie Johnson loves being in the Army would be an understatement. “There’s nothing like being in the Army- nothing at all,” she says with pride... MORE

U.S. Army Cpl. Tiffanie Johnson rides an upright cycle in the cycling event during the U.S. Army Trials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 7, 2022. Nearly 40 wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers are at Fort Bragg May 3 - 9 to compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, powerlifting, track, field, rowing, and wheelchair basketball. The Army holds qualifying trials for active duty Soldiers and veterans to assess and select athletes for competition in the DoD Warrior Games. Active duty athletes compete in person at Army Trials to be assessed for selection, while veterans compete virtually and submit their results to the Army Recovery Care Program for assessment. This year, the DoD Warrior Games will take place in Orlando, Florida August 16 – 29, 2022.

Army Trials helps injured Soldier show the world she can still compete
May 8, 2022 — Throwing around 126-152 pounds of ammunition rounds is all in a day’s work for U.S. Army Cpl. Jennifer Acker. As an ammunition specialist at Fort Riley, Kansas, she controls, supplies, and delivers ammunitions to training units. In July of 2019, while offloading those supplies, she knew something had gone wrong... MORE

U.S. Army Cpl. Jennifer Acker rides an upright cycle in the cycling event during the U.S. Army Trials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 7, 2022. Nearly 40 wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers are at Fort Bragg May 3 - 9 to compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, powerlifting, track, field, rowing, and wheelchair basketball. The Army holds qualifying trials for active duty Soldiers and veterans to assess and select athletes for competition in the DoD Warrior Games. Active duty athletes compete in person at Army Trials to be assessed for selection, while veterans compete virtually and submit their results to the Army Recovery Care Program for assessment. This year, the DoD Warrior Games will take place in Orlando, Florida August 16 – 29, 2022

Injured Soldier is pedaling his way to victory on the course and in life
May 7, 2022 — 1st Lt. Ryan Arthur traveled many roads as an avid cyclist. His love for endurance competition hit the brakes on August 7, 2021, while on Copper Mountain in Colorado, competing in a 78-mile road race... MORE

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Ryan Arthur, trains for cycling before competing in the U.S. Army Trials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 5, 2022. Nearly 40 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers are at Fort Bragg May 3 - 9 to compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, powerlifting, track, field, rowing, and wheelchair basketball. The Army holds qualifying trials for active duty Soldiers and veterans to assess and select athletes for competition in the DoD Warrior Games. Active duty athletes compete in person at the Army Trials to be assessed for selection, while veterans compete virtually and submit their results to the Army Recovery Care Program for assessment and Team Army selection. This year, the DoD Warrior Games will take place in Orlando, Florida, August 16 - 29, 2022.

I didn’t know the Army cared this much about me
May 6, 2022 — On March 27, 2021, five soldiers on deployment were in a car accident in Germany. U.S. Army Spc. Corine Hamilton, a logistics specialist, was a passenger in the back seat. She took the brunt of the crash which rolled the car several times. She says everyone survived thank goodness, but she sustained a facial fracture to the eye and a crushed spine. ... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Corine Hamilton throws a discus during a track and field event during the U.S. Army Trials at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 5, 2022. Nearly 40 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans are at Fort Bragg May 3 - 9 to compete in a series of athletic events including archery, cycling, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, powerlifting, track, field, rowing, and wheelchair basketball. The Army holds qualifying trials for Active Duty and veterans to assess and select athletes for competition in the DoD Warrior Games. Active Duty athletes compete in person at Army Trials to be assessed for selection, while veterans compete virtually and submit their results to the Army Recovery Care Program (ARCP) for assessment. This year, the DoD Warrior Games will take place in Orlando, Florida August 16 – 29, 2022.

Amputee Soldier Credits Fort Campbell SRU With His Return to Duty Status
May 5, 2022 — Nothing in this world prepares a parent for that bad news phone call. Victoria Franklin received that call Oct. 11, 2020, about her then-19-year-old son Spc. Tyler Loveridge stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He had been in a motorcycle accident on his way back to the barracks... MORE

Spc. Tyler Loveridge and members of Bravo Battery 232 at PT at the Fort Campbell Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) in Kentucky in August 2021.

Rebuilding Lives: How Adaptive Recovery Helps Soldiers With an Uncertain Future
April 22, 2022 — Few understand the struggle of a Soldier beset by an injury or illness. Ripped from the military world they knew, they face an uncertain future. These Soldiers often wonder where to turn to for support and guidance... MORE

Staff Sgt. Judson Heard, a Soldier assigned to the Fort Bragg Soldier Recovery Unit, North Carolina, catches a wave at Carolina Beach on July 29 during an adaptive surfing event.

Capt. Casey Turner Feels Stronger Than Ever Going Into Invictus Games
April 21, 2022 — Army Reservist Capt. Casey Turner faced the difficulty of a right knee injury in 2017 and underwent three knee surgeries. Today, she feels stronger than ever as she trains for the upcoming Invictus Games in The Hague, The Netherlands... MORE

U.S. Army Capt. Casey Turner prepares to compete in the 2022 Invictus Games by training in cycling during the 2022 Invictus Games Team U.S. Training Camp, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, April 9, 2022. Team U.S is a part of more than 500 participants from 20 countries who will take part in The Invictus Games The Hague 2020 featuring ten adaptive sports, including archery, field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, swimming, track, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and a driving challenge.