When SSG Richard Banks found himself thousands of miles from home, fighting to save a failing marriage while carrying the weight of leadership, grief, and exhaustion, he reached a breaking point no one around him could see.
What followed was a turning point sparked by the quiet intervention of a leader who refused to let him fall, and sustained by a newfound passion that pulled him forward. In this intimate conversation, SSG Banks shares how he stepped back from the edge and discovered purpose through endurance training. It will remind anyone struggling in silence that their story isn’t over, and that help, purpose, and connection can be found.
SSG Banks is the NCOIC for Training & Education at Irwin Army Community Hospital....
Maj. Gus Cunningham, a Soldier with the 1st Infantry Division, became the first patient to receive shockwave therapy at Irwin Army Community Hospital and he is already reporting relief from chronic pain that once limited his mobility.
Cunningham suffered a small fracture on the outer edge of his foot after stepping into a pothole during a run. Traditional recovery can take months and sometimes requires surgery, but with the hospital’s newly acquired DUOLITH SD1 shockwave system, Cunningham’s care team sought to accelerate his healing without invasive procedures.
“The sensation was similar to a tattoo needle,” Cunningham said, “but after the first session, I could tell a difference. The pain and swelling started to go...
10.04.2025 | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
Story by Jorge Gomez
A podiatrist at Irwin Army Community Hospital applies 2,500 low-intensity soundwave pulses designed to stimulate blood flow, reduce inflammation, and encourage bone regeneration to a patient who suffered a fifth metatarsal avulsion fracture, a painful injury caused when a ligament pulled part of the bone away after he stepped into a pothole during a run.
