U.S. Army Retired 1st Sgt. Pete Carrion, Army JROTC instructor at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, offers shooting tips to Staff Sgt. Tiffany Rodriguez-Rexroad, Bravo Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center,...
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Menchaca, Alpha Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center, prepares his target for an air rifle training session at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 10, 2016. The training is p...
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tomas Calavera, Alpha Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center, gets up close and personal to the sight on his air rifle during a training session Nov. 10, 2016. The training is part of the WTB's adap...
U.S. Army Sgt. David Crook, Bravo Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center, is ready to squeeze the trigger during an air rifle training session at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 10, 2016. The training...
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Tiffany Rodriguez-Rexroad, Bravo Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center, inspects her air rifle before firing during a training session at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 10, 2016...
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Grawburg, Alpha Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, Brooke Army Medical Center, takes aim at his target during an air pistol training session at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 10, 2016. The t...
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- When a service member is wounded, ill, or injured, it can sometimes take months, even years, to adjust to a new normal.
One way many wounded warriors regain control of their lives is through adaptive reconditioning activities and programs. Participants engage in the arts, outdoor recreation events, athletics and physical therapy.
On Nov. 10, a handful of Soldiers from the Brooke Army Medical Center Warrior Transition Battalion spent the afternoon in the basement of a local high school, where they practiced their marksmanship, working on air rifle and air pistol shooting techniques.
Among them was Staff Sgt. Tiffany Rodriguez-Rexroad. She was assigned to the WTB was after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing a street at Fort Hood, Texas.
"My right pelvis was fractured, eventually resulting in a total hip replacement," Rodriguez-Rexroad said. "My right tibia was fractured, and I now wear a knee brace due to the instability the fracture caused."
She also received several broken ribs, a punctured lung, and lacerations to her forehead.
Upon returning to duty, she worried about maintaining her fitness level at Army standards. Today she participates in hand-cycling, archery, wheelchair racing, swimming, wheelchair basketball, kayaking and weight lifting.
Retired 1st Sgt. Pete Carrion, junior Reserve officer training corps instructor at Central Catholic High School, San Antonio, Texas, devotes his spare time to assist WTB Soldiers like her.
His goal was to help each Soldier find his or her comfortable position, so they could take aim at reconditioning.
"I don't like wasting people's time," Carrion said. "At the same time, I don't want to waste [the Soldiers']."
That day, Carrion asked each Soldier to give an assessment of the air rifle and air pistol training session.
"I need to take a little more time with each shot," Rodriguez-Rexroad admitted.
To Rodriguez-Rexroad, Carrion stressed the pattern of her shot group as more important than hitting the bull's eye. According to Carrion, a shot outside of the pattern is a product of a breakdown in the tenets of shooting.
Those tenets are: Assume a comfortable, steady firing position; Aim, or know where your eye is focused; Control your breathing cycle; Squeeze the trigger properly.
Carrion said you must condition your mind and your body. Though each Soldier was different, he pointed out, each of them had the capacity to accomplish what he or she set out to do.
For a service member who is wounded in combat, suffered an illness, or as in Rodriguez's case, injured in a car accident, the tenets of shooting are not all that different from the struggle to reach a new normal.
The service member must establish a steady position in order to focus on the goal of recovery. Much like controlling breathing, the service member must learn to control his or her emotions and adapt to the new environment.
Finally, if the Soldier does not squeeze the trigger properly, the rifle or pistol, just like their recovery, will be misaligned with the target.
Two years ago Rodriguez never anticipated being hit by a truck while crossing a street in central Texas. Today, besides returning to duty, Rodriguez-Rexroad now has a new goal.
"When I found out that air rifle was one of the sports for the Warrior Games, I started practicing to compete for the games," she said. "I recently competed in the regional trials and hope to advance to the Army trials at Fort Bliss in March."
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