FORT BLISS, Texas - For Capt. Eric Lintelmann joining the Army was a no brainer.
"It's practically legacy," said Lintelmann. "My maternal grandfather served in the Air Force in WWII, as a pilot. My paternal grandfather served in the Navy at the end of WWII. My cousin and a great uncle both entered the Air Force."
The only real question is which branch of the military he would join.
"In high school I talked to recruiters from all services," he said. "The Marines were too proud, the Air Force wasn't a good fit, the Navy wanted to stick me on a sub (I can get claustrophobic), and the Coast Guard seemed to do a Navy job, without the cool weapons. The Army was just right," he continued.
Lintelmann joined the Army in 2002 right after graduating high school. He enlisted as a Linguist, shortly thereafter he was accepted at the United States Military Academy.
While deployed to Iraq in 2016, Lintelmann injured his shoulder from physical training exercises and daily job requirements. Upon returning from deployment, he was assigned to Fort Carson's Warrior Transition Battalion. According to Lintelmann, the WTB was instrumental in his healing.
"The WTB has been a good one stop resource in an effort to get me back to duty or transition. I have come back from deployments injured before, but with almost no care afterward. It is a significant difference to get the support you need, especially as an Army Reserve Soldier. The WTB is a unit that has the patience and resources to help you in your transition."
During his recovery, the Military Police and Space Operations Officer developed a love for adaptive sports. He says his first introduction was challenging.
"I was frustrated. We spend so much of our career defining success as doing well on a physical fitness test. When you find it hard to do an event because of an injury or illness, it adds tremendous stress to our life and dampens career hopes," he said.
Lintelmann adjusted his attitude and learned to adapt to his new normal. "I feel the adaptive reconditioning program is important," said Lintelmann. "I can ride a recumbent bicycle and shoot an air rifle pretty well without needing a strong left shoulder."
Lintelmann believes in the Army and to continue stressing competition and recovery while redefining physical fitness for injured Soldiers.
"Some Soldiers will not be competitive in taking the Army physical fitness test after injury and that has defined their physical fitness goals for a long time."
Lintelmann will return to duty pending his recovery release.
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