Stories

Tag: Gallery

I want to do more so I can be ready.
March 7, 2023 — Since he was in the fifth grade, Spc. Matthew Peite knew he wanted to be in the military. He had big dreams to get out of his small town and see the world... MORE

(Photo courtesy Spc. Matthew Peite) Spc. Peite learning how to wake surf!

Getting out of your head by getting out of the barracks
March 3, 2023 — Cpl. (Ret.) Joshua Justice always knew a life in the Army was for him until it wasn’t. A previous knee injury prior to enlisting reared its ugly head while on a deployment to the US-Mexico border at his 11th year of serving. “I got deployed as an MP [Military Police] with the National Guard down to the Mexico border to support our border patrol. One day in 2020 when I was coming off a shift, I just felt my ACL explode.” That previously repaired knee injury suffered further wear and tear with deployments and relocation... MORE

(Photo courtesy Ariel Baily) Cpl. (R) Joshua Justice participates in Adaptive Golf at the Ft. Stewart Soldier Recovery Unit.

Safety is the Way to Roll in Wheelchair Rugby
March 2, 2023 — FORT BELVOIR, VA - Wheelchair rugby is beyond fascinating to watch. The hits, the speed and the scoring are sure to make any fan cheer. The crème de le crème of adaptive team sports has come under fire for being too rough but at an adaptive sports camp, coaches hope to educate and incorporate common sense rules and injury prevention techniques... MORE

Assistant Wheelchair Rugby Coach Ross Alewine shows Spc. Colin Matthews a blocking technique for safety at the goal line.

Soldiers and Cadre Discover Benefits of Wheelchair Rugby
March 1, 2023 — Sgt. Finlahy Cortez-Powers never imagined playing wheelchair rugby. The Mortuary Affairs Specialist was introduced to adaptive sports last fall at the Fort Benning Soldier Recovery (SRU) unit after a back injury... MORE

(Photo by MaryTherese Griffin) Captain Jessica Campion and Sgt Finlahy Cortez-Powers in a scrimmage at wheelchair rugby camp.

“I didn’t know how to be physical being disabled but wheelchair basketball gave me hope.”
February 7, 2023 — Retired Army Specialist Anthony Farve found hope through hoops, but he knew he needed to get off the bench of depression. He had his left leg amputated after an explosion in a war zone in Iraq several years earlier... MORE

Army Specialist (R) Anthony Farve plays wheelchair basketball on Team Army at the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Colorado Springs.

When you come to terms with what happened to you
February 6, 2023 — Retired Army Captain Tim Bomke knows a thing or two about adversity and overcoming obstacles. You might say, and so would he, that he’s a late bloomer. On June 3, 2005, while deployed to Iraq, Bomke’s vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a route clearing operation resulting in the loss of his right leg, below the knee... MORE

Tim Bomke at Sitting Volleyball Practice for Team Army 2018.

There’s NO excuse to not be living your full potential
January 7, 2023 — If you’ve ever flown on a commercial plane before, you know the safety briefing always includes the instructions to put your mask on first before helping others. This sound advice is something retired Staff Sgt. Armando Mejia knows all too well... MORE

Staff Sgt. Armando Mejia just hours after he was injured in Mosul Iraq 2004.

You are Worth the Journey Toward Better
January 6, 2023 — It’s often said to have a comeback you have to have a setback. Sgt. 1st Class (R) Lavone Kendrick’s setback to come back was over twenty years in the making and she is living her truth today trying to help others... MORE

t’s often said to have a comeback you have to have a setback. Sgt. 1st Class (R) Lavone Kendrick’s setback to come back was over twenty years in the making and she is living her truth today trying to help others.

Adaptive Sports Feeds Your Soul
January 5, 2023 — You can’t remember the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Chicago without the image of Team Army performing a Hakka chant. That chant led by Sgt 1st Class Dave Iuli, became one of the greatest memories of those games... MORE

SFC (R) Dave Iuli leads Team Army in a Haka chant at the 2017 DOD Warrior Games in Chicago

The Army Sergeant Who Threw a Discus into the Stands at Soldier Field
January 4, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va - Competing in sports on a national stage can be lifechanging and memorable. If you’re lucky, both. You may remember Sgt. David Crook as a member of Team Army in 2017... MORE

Army Sgt, David Crook holds the discus he sent sailing into the stands at Soldier Field during the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Chicago

“Push yourself to take leaps of faith and try something you’ve never done before.”
January 3, 2023 — Retired Army Captain Kenny Rodgers loved law enforcement and being in the Army. As a police officer, he was used to an active and high octane physically fit lifestyle. When he was activated from Army Reserve to Active Duty, his physical demands entered a new stratosphere... MORE

Soldier Surrenders to Life Changes, Ends up Paralympic Athlete
January 2, 2023 — It’s no secret. It’s very easy to give up and much harder to carry on in times of adversity. Maj. (Ret.) Christina Truesdale has a very different take on that secret, and it has to do with surrendering... MORE

In her spare time, Christina Truesdale was a celebrity dancer at a charity event for Fisher house in Portland Oregon in October 2022. Complete with an adaptive ankle brace, she and her partner Declan Grover wowed the crowd in the “Dancing for Heroes” Gala.

As a Military Family We Do What We Do with Faith, Hope, Love, and Prayers
January 1, 2023 — The average military family could relocate ten times more often than civilian families which is about every two to three years. Factor in changing schools, homes and jobs and it’s quite the hectic lifestyle... MORE

In May 2016 Captain Avila was given a Holy Bath at Lourdes for continued healing. Claudia Avila said afterward he gained more strength and improved his mobility and gives all the thanks to God.

COVID, Courage and Kayaking
December 1, 2022 — In 2021, the world was experiencing coronavirus in full force. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 34% of Americans tested positive for COVID-19 in 2021. Sgt. 1st Class Mike Hieb was one of them. “I got COVID while stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and went into the hospital June 20, 2021.”... MORE

Michelle, Mike, and Maj. (Dr.) Whittney Warren, pulmonologist, BAMC

Striking out with Adaptive Reconditioning
December 1, 2022 — Sgt. Fidel Sanchez is a mechanic in the Army. He works on wheels. “Anything with wheels, trucks, trailers, I work on it all,” said the 30-year-old active-duty Soldier at Fort Hood. His plan in the Army as a mechanic had a wrench thrown in it, so to speak, when he severely injured his hand almost two years ago. Two surgeries later he knew he needed specialized care... MORE

Staff Sgt. William Stroe-Patterson giving it his best shot at bowling therapy at Fort Hood.

Making a program that works, even better… The 2022 ARCP Senior Leadership Summit
December 1, 2022 — “Why would anyone come here when they can go anywhere else for recovery?” That’s what SGM Alex P Rushton, a former Soldier at the Fort Riley Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) shared with Army leadership this week. He answered his own question with “Because it worked.”... MORE

Colonel (Promotable) Roger Giraud presents the Soldier Recovery Unit of the Year Award to Fort Hood, at the annual Senior Leaders Summit Oct 27, 2022, Washington DC.

ask Specialist Jacob Wilson!
October 24, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Virginia (October 12, 2022) - -What do Vincent Van Gough, President Roosevelt, Actor Danny Glover, and Spc. Jacob Wilson have in common? They all had or have epilepsy! Spc. Wilson found out just over a year ago, after a month of leave back in the states for his 21st birthday, that he would join the ranks of 150,000 people annually who are diagnosed with epilepsy... MORE

Specialist Jacob Wilson at his most recent promotion ceremony

“It’s not over- I feel like I still have a purpose in the Army”
October 13, 2022 — Ten years ago, Sgt. Erica Jennings joined the Army to have structure in her life and see the world... MORE

Sgt. Erica Jennings (foreground) working with Fort Stewart SRU Soldiers.

Hello from the other side... From Athlete to Mentor
October 5, 2022 — When you are an athlete on Team Army you know the drill, what is expected of you, and that’s what you work toward, hopefully earning a few medals along the way... MORE

When you are an athlete on Team Army you know the drill, what is expected of you, and that’s what you work toward, hopefully earning a few medals along the way.

The Art of Resiliency
October 4, 2022 — French Impressionist, Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” Soldiers at the Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) are making others see how resilient they are through many mediums. The JBLM Resilience Art Show gave them that opportunity and it happened by chance... MORE

ench Impressionist, Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” Soldiers at the Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) are making others see how resilient they are through many mediums. The JBLM Resilience Art Show gave them that opportunity and it happened by chance.