Brent grew up in Bath, New York with his parents and twin brother. During high school he stayed very active, doing three sports: wrestling, football, and baseball. He flourished at baseball and continued on to play in college after graduating high school in 2006. A year and a half into college, Brent felt called to pursue a stronger purpose. His brother had enlisted in the military straight out of high school and Brent saw firsthand how it shaped his life. Joining the military felt like the right next step for Brent and he took action.
12 days after walking into the doors of an Army Recruitment office, Brent was off to basic training in Kentucky. He enlisted in 2008, during which time many troops deployed to the Middle East, and he knew there was a high chance he would be joining them. Upon completing basic training, Brent became a heavy equipment operator. He also completed jump school before being stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
His first deployment was in 2009 to Afghanistan where his team was assigned to clear routes for coalition forces along the eastern parts of Afghanistan. The group was successful and Brent went home eight months later for rest and recovery. Months later, Brent was redeployed back to Afghanistan focused on the same mission.
Then in September of 2010, Brent’s vehicle was hit with an IED. The blast immediately shattered both his ankles and feet and impacted his spine. He was airlifted to the military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan, then moved to Germany for a few days before returning to the U.S. The first year of his recovery was spent at Fort Bragg, where doctors did countless limb salvage surgeries trying to save 21 year old’s legs. Brent was then moved to Walter Reed in February of 2012 and shortly after got his left leg amputated below the knee.
As he recovered, Brent transitioned to life with a prosthetic. He still struggled with the use of his “good” right foot and had some limitations due to that. Favoring his prosthetic side, Brent spent the next seven years getting back into normal life. He stayed active at the gym and joined a softball team that traveled to different parts of the country.
Ultimately, the pain and functionality in his right foot was so bad that he decided to amputate it in March of 2019. Since then, Brent has been pain free which has been a huge relief. It was a lot easier for him to transition to a prosthetic the second time around. Now with two prosthetic legs, he’s way faster running bases in softball and has been getting after it in the gym he runs with his twin brother. At this point he feels like he can do anything he wants to do.
Brent is an eager learner and is excited to come to ATF and find new ways to push himself, whether that be on the gym floor or other aspects of performance such as nutrition. He’s ready to go beyond his comfort zone and test his limits. After the class, Brent is looking for ways to set the bar higher and wants to see about pursuing goals in lifting and potentially Paralympic sports.
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