"Always Smiling," Wheelchair Basketball Star Got His Start from Adaptive Reconditioning Activities

By Ms. Anna V Eisenburg (Army Medicine)October 29, 2014

Staff Sgt. Brian Boone blocks a shot in the Army-Marine Corps wheelchair basketball final
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

"He's bleeding, his hands are blistered, but he goes out there and gives it all he's got. He's a stand out guy," said Jermell Pennie, head coach for the Army team at the 2014 Warrior Games describing Staff Sgt. Brian Boone "He's always asking questions, trying to better himself. And he's always got a smile on his face."

Boone, who also plays wheelchair basketball for the San Antonio Spurs, first discovered the sport while recovering at the Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Boone sustained severe injuries while deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, ultimately losing his left leg below the knee. As part of his recovery at the WTB, he worked with an interdisciplinary team of clinical and non-clinical personnel to create a personalized Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP). A key component of all recovering warriors' CTP, adaptive reconditioning supports the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of wounded, ill or injured soldiers. Since 2007 more than 62,000 soldiers have been supported through the Warrior Care and Transition Program, which includes Warrior Transition Units at 26 installations throughout the country. Nearly 50% of these soldiers returned to the force after completing their recovery.

For Boone, competitive sports became a powerful adaptive reconditioning tool and his conduit to recovery. Within a month of returning to the United States, he was fitted with a prosthetic and was walking again.

"Sports really help me get out of myself," said Boone, crediting the adaptive reconditioning activities he participated in at the WTB for facilitating his recovery from what he calls his "golden injury." Boone also found therapy in shooting, swimming and sitting volleyball--drawing on the competitive nature of the more active sports and the intensity and focus required to accurately fire a gun.

Competition and the camaraderie that come with sports motivated Boone to stay in the Army, and he was able to do so through a special program called Continuation on Active Duty (COAD). The motivation and inspiration he gets from competitive sports and the relaxation and focus skills he learned from shooting will help him in his future endeavor: Boone plans to transition out of the Army and pursue a degree in biology.

Related Links:

U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command

Warrior Care Month 2014