Courtesy Photo | (Photo courtesy Coach Adriane Wilson) Master Sgt. Earlie Brown during sitting...... read more read more
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FALLS CHURCH, Va.- Master Sgt. Earlie Brown has nearly 25 years of service in the Army. He’s about to retire medically, but not before competing for a spot on Team Army. After an incident during a deployment sent him to a Soldier Recovery Unit last year, Brown found solace in adaptive sports. He hopes all the adaptive sports he’s learning to recover with will help him April 1-10 at Army Trials in Fort Bliss, Texas. “I'm all about adaptive sports right now! It's life-changing. I’m looking forward to the trials and working with new Soldiers and coaches. I'm enjoying this whole experience,” said Brown.
Brown never knew what a Soldier Recovery Unit was until he needed one in January 2024. “I was in Syria and caught a nasty eye infection that I couldn't recover from. After a week of treatment, it wouldn't get any better, so they ended up sending me to Germany, and folks in Germany decided after a while that I should go home, which brought me to Walter Reed SRU for more treatment,” said the construction engineer supervisor.
It wasn’t just any nasty eye infection. Brown’s condition was serious, and he was dealing with a series of emotions at one time. “I felt like I let my team down in Syria because I was the supervisor over there and in charge of my platoon. And you know, it was scary to think that I might lose my vision and my left eye. It was depressing.”
Brown found his focus on recovery through adaptive sports. Vision and headache pain plagued him, but in time, through therapy and sporting AR events, he is on the road to redemption. With 90% of his vision intact, he says he sees things in a better light. “This recovery is also about teamwork, by being able to socialize with people by learning something new, by being told something new. I've learned how to exercise differently with different parts of my body, and now I have a new outlet,” said Brown, whose favorite adaptive sports are rowing, archery, air rifle, and wheelchair basketball.
Always the leader who wants to help Soldiers by setting high standards, Earlie is answering a higher calling, and Soldiers could reap the benefits. “I had a revelation that God put me here to make a difference. Instead of being in this depressed state and moment that you are in, you know you have many people around you who can use that servant leadership. You need to go serve these people where God put you, so just with that mentality, I have to help out and mentor Soldiers,” said Brown, who possibly wants to work in the program after retirement.
Regarding working with Soldiers in El Paso at Army Trials, Brown’s already in the right mindset and says he is ready to make a difference. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity. Let’s get that teamwork together! I look forward to competing. I'll be very thankful for the opportunity to go on to Colorado and do what I can for Team Army,” said Brown.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2025 09:04 |
| Story ID: | 492179 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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