ARLINGTON, Va. - Army Spc. Mike Painter has vision beyond any classical artist or artisan.
His canvas? The gym. His tools? Barbells. His subjects? Wounded warriors at Fort Campbell, Ky. just like him.
Spc. Painter is an above-the-elbow-amputee who has returned to duty thanks to the Warrior Transition Battalion and for the record his Military Occupational Specialty has not changed.
Painter wasn't going to let a little challenge like a non-working arm stop him from achieving great feats. He ended up at the Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Battalion because of a motorcycle accident July 23, 2016 in which he sustained grave damage to his brachial plexus, the network of nerves that sends signals from your spine to your shoulder, arm and hand, leaving him with a paralyzed left arm. He convinced the neurosurgeons at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to amputate it so he could be able to do high level activities such as perform a 275lb dead lift.
Recently, the Signal Support Specialist coordinated a deadlift event with a Christmas flare. Participants from the cadre, adaptive reconditioning program staff and Soldiers in transition were invited to wear their "best" Christmas clothes, ugly sweaters and all to make it fun and challenging. "I like to challenge myself and I think it's cool that others came out with me and challenged themselves as well," touted the Soldier of five years.
Physical therapist Lindsey Davison is glad to have this "Painter" in her studio. "He is an awesome asset to our WTB as a Soldier in transition because he motivates others to try anything no matter how great!"
And motivate others he did, stepping into coaching mode at the deadlift event with his First Sergeant. "The 1st Sgt. started her first dead lift at 135 lbs. and couldn't even get it off the ground, she then went down to 95lbs and with my coaching was able to go back up to 135 lbs. with good form," Painter said.
Davison says the event Painter named "Merry Deadlift-mas," helped in recovery because not only was it fun, but it encouraged a combination complex movement that involves the entire body. She says most Soldiers don't know what their limits are in the gym so they take them, they show them how and then let them try. She stresses, "We ensure they try all the multi-joint lifts with proper form as it is imperative to prevent injury."
Also imperative? The willingness to try something new. Painter was excited that he was able to get people out of their comfort zone and help a cadre member learn to dead lift. All it took was just a little vision and a dedicated Painter.
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