While today is Veterans Day, the North Texas-based Adaptive Training Foundation (ATF) honors and aids veterans all year.
ATF helps injured former service members engage in exercise and community by leading sessions at its gym in Carrollton. People from all over the country come to North Texas to participate in the programs, which are free since ATF relies on donations.
Retired Army Sergeant First Class Randy Nantz is a regular participant. In 2006, a bomb hit Nantz’s vehicle in Baghdad, engulfing Nantz in flames after the fuel tank ignited. His left leg was amputated below the knee as a result.
After Nantz returned, he joined the ATF group in order to get back in shape but soon realized it was also having a positive effect on his mind as well as his body.
“Initially, I thought I was just going to come here and work out and get back into shape like yes, who wouldn’t want to lose a few pounds, but I soon learned that the mental aspect of it was the bigger part of the class,” he told CBS. “Life isn’t over because of what happened to you.”
The program took nine weeks, and once Nantz completed it, he became a trainer. The work gave him a “sense of peace,” he explained.
Staff Sergeant Travis Strong, another retiree from the Army, also became a trainer after completing the program.
Strong had both of his legs amputated above the knee in 2006 when his vehicle was hit by an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) in Iran.
Nantz explained, “We’re not going to feel sorry for you … We’re going to hold you to a high standard, and we’re going to help you push forward.”
Despite the physical sacrifice that their service required, both Nantz and Strong said they would do it all over again if given a choice and wish they could serve right now.
