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Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team Dominates D.C. Celebrities

April 4, 2012
By J.D. Leipold

WASHINGTON — The loss of an arm or a leg from combat wasn’t about to stop these band of Soldiers and Marines who make up the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, or WWAST, as they dominated a Washington area celebrity team made up of sports legends.

In the second annual battle between the teams hosted by the Washington Nationals at their ballpark, the softball classic started with the able-bodied celebrities taking an early lead at 2-0, even though NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green whiffed three pitches and struck out.

 

Two more runs were all the celebrities could muster in five innings of play as the wounded warriors, playing with leg or arm prosthetic or no prosthetic at all, couldn’t be stopped defensively or offensively. They gave the celebrities a 17-4 shellacking under a perfect evening sky and full moon.

For Army veteran Greg Reynolds, the loss of his left arm forequarter happened at home following a 15-month Iraq tour when he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle. His odds were one in 2,000 of surviving and even less while in recovery, he said.

“To be out here today in front of all these people by far exceeds anything I thought possible,” Reynolds said. “This is a really rewarding, humbling experience to play on such an amazing team with my brothers, but to be out and to play with obviously missing a great portion of my body motivates me to the next level because I have this inner discipline and motivation where I want to play better than the guy with his limbs. No one should put limitations on themselves.”

While on a night patrol in Iraq, Matt Kinsey stepped on a landmine, losing his right foot.

“You go from being a paratrooper, which is a very proud thing, and you take a lot of pride in it to missing a foot and your career; it’s not over, but it’s really tough to get back into the infantry and you go from being on top of the mountain to being on the bottom of it,” Kinsey said.

“This is a dream come true, every little kid dreams of getting a second chance as an athlete and I had one and lost it,” the former high school and college ball player said. “This is my second chance, so I play as hard as I can while I’m out here because it can be gone just in the blink of an eye.”

Veteran Soldier Brian T. Urruela, who lost his right leg below the knee to two improvised explosive devices during Operation Iraqi Freedom, said playing ball is like that next step, next phase, but he said it’s been a long, long journey of about five years.”

“Being at this level and maintaining this level, we’re constantly working at improving our limbs and it definitely pushes us to our limits. It’s improved me tenfold,” he said.

In conjunction with various military outreach efforts, the partnership between the Nationals and the WWAST hopes to demonstrate to other amputees and the public that through extensive rehabilitation and training, veterans who were once Soldiers and Marines can be athletes while playing ball and proving life without a limb can be unlimited.

Related Posts:

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  • Getting On With LifeGetting On With Life
  • Warrior-Athletes Bring Home Sochi GoldWarrior-Athletes Bring Home Sochi Gold
  • All-Army Women Dedicate Armed Forces Crown to Fallen SoldierAll-Army Women Dedicate Armed Forces Crown to Fallen Soldier
  • Marines Shut Down Army in Sitting VolleyballMarines Shut Down Army in Sitting Volleyball

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ACC Commander And Chief Visit Al Dhafra Air Base

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 – Gen. Mike Holmes and Chief Master Sgt. Frank Batten, the commander of Air Combat Command and command chief, visited active duty, National Guard, and Reserve Airmen currently deployed to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Feb. 14-15, 2019. “This is my and the Chief’s third time out and around the area of […]

Army Secretary Honors Top Recruiters

FEBRUARY 6, 2019 – Traveling about half the time of the year as a recruiter, Staff Sgt. Jon McCoy heavily relies on his wife to take care of their toddler and home. “The whole reason why I’m here is the support that my wife is able to provide,” he said Monday afternoon before a ceremony […]

How TAP Helps Transitioning Service Members Navigate the Intricacies of Higher Education

NOVEMBER 20, 2018 – Navigating the intricacies of higher education can be a challenge – and transitioning service members and veterans have many obstacles to traverse to achieve success – but there is help available. Melinda Manyx, curriculum program manager, Department of Defense (DoD), Transition to Veterans Program Office (TVPO), spoke to conference attendees at […]

New Army App Provides Mobile Access to HR, Pay Records

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 – The Army has released a new human resources mobile application for the Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) that allows Soldiers to access their personnel records using a mobile phone or tablet. IPPS-A is the Army’s next generation human resources and pay system that revolutionizes the way the Army […]

Don’t Let Criminals Steal Your Tax Return

FEBRUARY 20, 2019, Fort Knox, KY – In 2018, the Internal Revenue Service reported a surge in phone scamming during the income tax return season and are again cautioning filers not to be fooled by criminals. On their website, the IRS lists scam phone calls near the top of its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of […]

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