Photo By Sgt. Taryn Hagerman | Staff Sgt. William Miller (left), cadre with the Warrior Transition Battalion,...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The Army is teeming with proud, motivated soldiers who each swore an oath and are willing to risk everything to uphold it. Soldiers who pay the price of this high-risk career, becoming too injured or ill to continue serving, move to the Warrior Transition Battalion.
When injured, each soldier will encounter unique struggles, which is why the WTB is equipped with programs to help motivate them toward recovery and success.
Soldiers in transition joined the WTB in kicking off Warrior Care Month with the Adaptive Reconditioning Sports Expo at the Soldier Family Assistance Center, Nov. 3. Tables lined the room, covered with information about each activity and a cadre member or civilian representative demonstrating and answering questions.
“The goal of the Adaptive Reconditioning Expo is to introduce the soldiers to something new or a new version of something they’ve already done,” said Staff Sgt. Carlton Duncan, with the Army’s Adaptive Reconditioning Branch. “It highlights that soldiers in transition don’t have to feel stuck in their rooms between appointments. They can get out and participate, and reconnect with the community as well.”
Eighteen years into his Army Special Forces career, Sgt. 1st Class Emilio Garcia was injured and diagnosed with post-traumatic epilepsy. His condition slowly stripped him of his identity when he was devastated with news that he could no longer stay with his unit, continue his Army career, or even drive a car.
“I was in denial for a long time, and it was heartbreaking when I was disqualified from doing my job,” said Garcia. “I came here [WTB] feeling as if I’m done. I gave 18 years of my life to this career and losing it made me really angry.”
Garcia, currently a soldier in transition at the WTB, said it is common for individuals with injuries to experience varying degrees of depression, but he urges all soldiers to not solely rely on medication. Being active aided his recovery by rebuilding the camaraderie and friendly competition that soldiers crave.
“Through the resources for the Adaptive Reconditioning Sports, I’ve been able to do things I didn’t think I could do,” he said. “They also were able to help me with my self-image.”
Duncan, who was once a soldier in transition at the WTB, agreed that all soldiers can benefit from the activities.
“Their pride takes a hit when soldiers are no longer able to work or compete as they could before, but now that they’re doing something to overcome new challenges, that sense of pride returns,” Duncan said.
Garcia also attributes his success to the high-caliber cadre at the WTB. Amidst all his disdain from being forced out of his job and unit, Duncan motivated Garcia to try new activities.
Garcia said Duncan is responsible for his selection to Team USA to compete in track during the Invictus Games, an international competition for wounded, ill and injured service members, held in London.
“I’m very grateful for that because he [Duncan] gave me the opportunity to be part of something so big like that and represent the United States,” Garcia said. “I was really proud to be a part of it and that wasn’t because of me. It was because of Duncan.”
Staff Sgt. William Miller, Garcia’s squad leader, has been another influential cadre member. Garcia had a seizure two weeks ago while working in the computer lab at the WTB. He blacked out and woke up at 2 a.m. in a bed at Womack Army Medical Center, but he was not alone. Miller was seated in a chair across from him, exactly where he had been sitting in since he learned that Garcia was taken to the hospital nine hours earlier.
“I’ve had many seizures since I’ve been here, and every time I woke up, he’s [Miller] there,” Garcia said. “I didn’t expect this coming over here. The cadre is amazing, and it’s really overwhelming thinking about how grateful I am.”
The support from cadre and pride from reconditioning back to the competitive being that defines all service members has helped countless soldiers and is celebrated nationally at the Warrior Games since its inception in 2010.
The Marine Corps has maintained a stronghold over the competition until this year. The Army annihilated the competition, winning 71 medals and earning the coveted Chairman’s Cup.
“It really showcases our resiliency,” said Duncan, who was part of Team Army at this year’s Warrior Games. “Nothing can stop a service member from competing.”
Soldiers like Garcia join the military wanting to serve their country and begin a career they can be proud of. However, losing that career can cause them to question the value of the new life forced on them.
The program uniting wounded soldiers with the activities that they once enjoyed but feared they could never do again incites hope in lives that would otherwise be filled with bitterness. Garcia admitted his anger initially consumed him, but the cadre’s involvement and the activities that ultimately led him to compete at an international level, helped him recover and thrive.
“The fact that I was able to part of Team USA made me realize there is something else in life for me now,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2014 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 147626 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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