FORT BENNING, Ga. - Over the course of his life, Maj. Jimmy McNair has worn many hats - Naval aviator, Army officer, husband and father.
But there was one that he initially refused to accept: diabetic.
"I was the worst patient ever," McNair laughs as he recalls his initial reaction to a life-changing diagnosis.
Ten years ago, McNair was a recent "blue to green" inter-service transfer. He was deployed in Afghanistan and was preparing to return home and go to Airborne School when a routine physical stopped him in his tracks.
"The doctors pulled me aside and told me something was different in my blood," McNair said.
The physician told him it may be diabetes, but more tests would be needed. It was a proposition McNair shrugged off.
"I'd been an athlete all my life and then I went in the military. I was healthy. It didn't even run in my family," McNair said.
Upon returning to the U.S., the former track and field star avoided his follow-up appointment for four months until one of his fellow Soldiers tricked him into going to the clinic.
"I had no idea that's where we were going," said McNair.
He describes that critical day in light-hearted fashion, but his time spent with the medical staff was no laughing matter. McNair's diagnosis was confirmed and his first few months as a diabetic were challenging to say the least.
"There was a nurse who told me, 'Your blood sugar was so high when you came to us, some of us were expecting you to be around maybe two weeks to a month'," McNair said.
Even after getting his diabetes under control, McNair still struggled to accept his new normal. To make matters worse, the father of two had just gone through a divorce and began to deal with additional health issues, including sciatic nerve pain.
According to McNair, the weight of it all led him to a dark place.
"I became depressed," McNair said. "My disabilities were becoming a burden, not just on me but my family. I've always been the provider. When I started needing people to help me, I felt like my family would be better off without me on this earth."
As he slowly tried to overcome his circumstances, McNair began dating again and eventually remarried.
One day, his wife convinced him to participate in a cycling event with the Wounded Warrior Project. Little did he know, it would be a turning point in his life.
"It gave me a chance to be around others dealing with the same feelings I was going through," McNair said. "Listening to their similar stories provided a chance to help them while they're helping me."
Not long after, McNair was adding new sports to his repertoire at the encouragement of Fort Stewart's Adaptive Sports Coordinator Buddy Karolev.
"A lot of people have fear when they try something new, " Karolev said. "They don't want to think outside box. But Jimmy McNair is very open minded, and he's come a long way. I'm proud of him."
In preparation for his first Atlantic Regional Trials, McNair decided to try his hand at several adaptive sports, including shooting, archery and the field events that he first fell in love with as a kid.
"Everyone here competing has been so supportive. We're all rooting for each other. It's like a family," McNair said.
As he continues to strive for greatness, McNair is keeping himself out of the dark, one step at a time, and hoping to help others stay in the light as well.
"When you retire from the military, it can be like a death in the family. You have to say goodbye to what you're used to. You feel like you're not valuable anymore," McNair said. "But I realized becoming depressed didn't happen overnight, so healing doesn't happen overnight. Each new day heals you a little bit more."
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