Courtesy Photo | Sgt. Chris Montes releases his seated discus shot during competition at the Regional...... read more read more
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Staff Sgt. Chris Montes: Setting a new learning curve…
By Annette P. Gomes, Warrior Care and Transition
ARLINGTON, Va. - Running, marathons, hiking, weight lifting, they all sound like heaven to an avid sportsman, but a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, could mean the end of an active lifestyle. However, Sgt. Chris Montes says this experience helped him reshape his life.
“If it was a physical challenge, I was there. However, after I tore my ACL everything was gone. Life slowed down to an unbearable crawl. It was tough to take care of myself. I couldn't take care of the dogs and household chores. It took forever to start walking again and I still can't run. I'm trying very hard to get that back to an active point and return to duty,” Montes said.
In an effort to get back to that goal, Montes concentrated on his healing while recovering at the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas.
“When I was notified I was going to the WTB, I was relieved and nervous. I was thankful that medically I would be taken care of, but I was nervous because I knew that if I can't heal, my time in service would come to an end and I'm not ready to be done,” Montes said. “There's still a lot to accomplish. Injuries don't define a person, however it does reshape them in a light they never saw before giving them a new perspective.”
The Vocational Nurse and Combat medic would use the regional trials at Fort Benning, Ga. as a training experience to help him adjust to his new normal. Regional Trials are a competition wounded, ill and injured Army athletes take part in for a chance to move on to Army Trials where athletes compete to represent Team Army at the Department of Defense Warrior Games. Montes participated in several events including; archery, air rifle, air pistol, wheelchair racing and wheelchair basketball, but along the way he learned an important lesson.
“Regionals at Fort Benning was a great experience. It was impressive to see how many people came together to host and how many came to compete. It was inspirational to know that there are so many likeminded people,” Montes said. “The mentality was that despite whatever you’re going through, don’t quit. Participants had the same indomitable spirit.”
Adaptive reconditioning sports have been vital for Montes because they provide him an outlet from the mundane and an opportunity to step away from problems and try something new. “Adaptive sports gives me something that is fun, therapeutic and challenging. It gives me something new to focus on and boost my drive to create new goals,” he explained.
These days, Montes is focusing on overcoming the adversity he has faced and growing from it.
“If one never dealt with adversity, one would never build character."
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2018 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 264706 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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