Bobby Green: Together by chance, united by choice

Courtesy Photo | An array of compression sleeves will be donated to the families of fallen Soldiers during the Invictus Games on behalf of Army veteran Staff Sgt. Bobby Green. (Photo Courtesy Bobby Green)  

TORONTO, ON, CANADA

09.22.2017

Courtesy Story

Army Recovery Care Program

By Annette P. Gomes
Warrior Care and Transition

TORONTO - All eyes are currently on Toronto for the 2017 Invictus Games, but for Staff Sgt. Bobby Green, his focus lies on former fallen or wounded, ill and injured Soldiers who are unable to compete. He wears his emotion on his sleeve – literally.

After many deployments, Green suffered multiple injuries including but not limited to Traumatic Brain Injury, spinal cord, back and nerve damage to his right arm. He wears a compression sleeve on his arm due to that damage.

He highlights the names of former Soldiers on the sleeves and gives it to their families after competing in sporting events including archery and field events.

“I do it to honor them. I compete and do the things I do, for those who can't. I had the idea to give the families the sleeves after I compete as a way to show my gratitude to their families and let them know that their loved one is never forgotten,” Green said.

Green has never forgotten his journey, the avid athlete and former semi-pro football player joined the military in 1998.

“I have always wanted to serve my country. I’m a military brat, my dad was in the Air Force. During my military career, I deployed several times,” he said.

Green says he was injured during his last deployment on April 13, 2013 and entered the Fort Sam Houston Warrior Transition Battalion to heal. The former semi-pro football player and avid athlete says adaptive sports became the center of his recovery.

“After I was injured, I started having depression and thought, "What am I going to do now?" Shortly after physical therapy etc., I was introduced to adaptive sports. “Adaptive Sports gave me something to strive for again, it gave me the camaraderie with other athletes who might be going through the same thing,” Green said. “Many of us have been taken ‘off the battlefield,’ but now we can return to the field in a different way; on the court, track, in the pool or at the archery range. We are able to show the world our resiliency, our drive and courage.”

During his recovery, Green met Sgt. Lee Hernandez at Fort Sam Houston’s WTB. His idea to donate the sleeves was born out of their time together. Hernandez served 18 years in the Army and in recent years, his health has grown progressively worse. After enduring 21 strokes and is now blind, he is under hospice care in Texas.

“Lee has received literally thousands of text messages, just an outpouring of love and support. It is awesome to see the love. I think of him often. Together by chance, united by choice. We as athletes have been put together because of our injuries, wounds or illnesses, but we became united by choice. I do this for those who can't, said Green.

During this year’s Invictus Games Green will dedicate a compression sleeve to the family of Sgt. Eric Williams, a former medic and friend who died in Afghanistan and to the family of Senior Airman and friend Chole Thompson, who died of melanoma.

This is Green’s second appearance at the games.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2017
• Date Posted: 09.24.2017 18:50
• Story ID: 249470
• Location: TORONTO, ON, CA