JANUARY 3, 2025 – As part of our new series, “The Gift of Adaptive Sports,” Retired Army Staff Sgt. Bobby Green breaks it down quickly and directly. “ I tell anyone, when you thought your sports career was over, life goes on. You can overcome it through adaptive sports.” Green should know; he’s living it and has embraced the gift of adaptive sports every day since 2013.
“I have a spinal cord injury and a Traumatic Brain Injury because I fell out of the back of an LMTV (Light Medium Tactical Vehicle) that was pretty high up. I was unloading equipment and landed on my back on a deployment in Kuwait.”
Green, an admitted military brat and a father himself, spent four years in the Air Force and then eleven years in the Army National Guard. In civilian life, he worked in the insurance business and was also a semi-pro football player in San Antonio. His injuries left him unsure of his future. “The whole reason I got into adaptive sports is because I was in a dark place. Adaptive sports saved my life. When I had my spinal cord injury, I just knew I was done. I was like, I will never be able to play sports again.”
Green learned about adaptive sports at the Joint Base San Antonio Soldier Recovery Unit, where he spent two years recovering from his injuries. At first, he didn’t think adaptive sports included him. “I always thought you had to be somebody with a prosthetic to be in that category of adaptive sports.”
Green treats adaptive sports like the lifeline he needs, indicating his recovery is physical and mental. He admits it’s been a struggle to get to where he is today, but he isn’t shy about reiterating what adaptive sports have done for him. “Adaptive sports changed my life, and it saved my life. It’s given me the tools to adapt. I’ve overcome certain obstacles.”
Having adaptive sports available in the SRU, he says, was crucial to his recovery.” It’s significant because of my spinal cord injury . I throw shot put and discus seated, I shoot archery seated, and then I play sitting volleyball. I’m pretty darn good in adaptive sports,” said Green who made Team Army and competed in Warrior Games 2015 at Quantico and made Team US to compete in the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.
Green consistently worked in adaptive sports after he retired in 2015. “I was the first person to go through an adaptive sports program at an SRU and returned to run it. I was the Adaptive Reconditioning Sports coordinator at Ft. Sam for a bit,” he proudly shared.
Today, he volunteers with Veterans and Soldiers and mentors Team Army athletes while working as an investigator for Child Protective Services. “Somebody once told me, ‘You go through a lot, and you carry it well, BUT it doesn’t mean it’s not heavy.’ Make sure you have a strong support system. That’s something that’s gotten me through. Don’t be afraid to reach out. I’ve sometimes felt I didn’t want to be a burden to anybody, but you have to reach out. Think about the next day. You won’t be in the same place as yesterday, and things will improve. You are loved.”
His love of adaptive sports is evident: “I have my coach’s certification in archery and USA track and field,” said Green, who also ran a sitting volleyball program in San Antonio a few years ago.
He gives back by helping others find new pathways through adaptive sports and encourages asking for help along the way. “Take advantage of the help that’s given to you. Be humble, and don’t think you don’t need it. You have no idea how many doors it can open up for you.”
Story by MaryTherese Griffin
Army Recovery Care Program