Meet Adaptive Athlete: Stephen Carter

Stephen split his free time growing up in Tulsa, OK between adventuring in the outdoors and creating his own world through the lens of video games. Right after high school graduation, Stephen enlisted in the US Army and headed off to Bootcamp in 2007.

 

He was deployed on two combat deployments in Afghanistan, the first from ‘08-’09 and the second from ‘10-’11. During his time there, he worked as an infantryman and experienced multiple IED explosions. On two separate occasions, he was in a vehicle that was struck by an IED, one of which detonated directly under the truck and knocked Stephen unconscious from the blast.

 

After his service ended in 2011, Stephen found incredible difficulty in retaining new information, regulating emotions and responses, and maintaining positive relationships. Through his recovery journey, he has come to understand and learn about himself and hopes to continue elevating that during his time at ATF. His goals are centered around rewriting the voice in his head and preparing his body to pursue his passion - climbing the highest mountains in the world.