Over the past month for our weekly Bro of the Week column (send submissions here!), we’ve been speaking with various people doing extraordinary things for their community or for the people they love. In a day and age when the negative headline typically gets the click, it’s been a breath of fresh air to shine a light on the achievements and undertakings of some badass people.
Today is no different, as we got the opportunity to speak with Sergeant First Class Carlo Adame.
Adame is a 2nd baseman for the Louisville Slugger Warriors National Amputee Baseball Team and served four tours of duty in Iraq as a US Army Sergeant First Class (Ret.). Adame plays with a prosthetic leg alongside former Major League players and fellow baseball enthusiasts for the Warriors, a competitive softball team made up of highly decorated U.S. Military Veterans and Active Duty Personnel with physical and invisible wounds.
Despite Sergeant First Class Adame’s injury, the dude can still ball. In high school, he played for Rancho Bernardo in San Diego when it was ranked the #1 high school baseball team in the country before going on to play college ball at San Diego City College.
Oh yeah, and he also has a dog named Benny, who is also a right leg amputee.
Can you provide a bit of insight on your military experience? When did you suffer the injury?
Best 21 years of my life – I made friends that’ll last a lifetime. Times were rough during deployments. It wasn’t all fun and games, but it made me who I am today. I served my last five years in the U.S. Army missing my right leg-below-knee limb and wearing a prosthesis. Competing with other able-bodied soldiers during PT and training was also my motivation to stay in the game.
The photo of you and Benny is incredible. Did you make Benny a part of your family because he was a right leg amputee as well?
Benny suffered his injury after he was already a part of our family. Our bond is amazing as he is my best friend. Benny has not made it out to the ball fields yet, but in 2019 we plan to bring him. He could potentially be our new team mascot!
I imagine at one point, playing competitive sports again seemed like a pipe dream. Speak on how being a member of the Louisville Slugger Warriors has affected your life/mentality.
Being a part of this team has been a key to my rehabilitation process as an amputee. We all feed off one another and motivate each other. My teammates are my inspiration.
I get a chance to defeat the odds, which are definitely against us, to adapt and overcome. I get to play a sport that I loved since I was a child, with brothers that have fought a lot of the same battles as me. We are not just a team, we are family.
Does having the prosthetic have its advantages on the diamond?
ABSOLUTELY… not, LOL! My real power leg is gone. It’s hard to pivot on a prosthetic device. All the agility moves are different as an amputee, plus we have to deal with all the things that come with being an amputee.
Do you have a special camaraderie with your teammates seeing as you’re playing alongside fellow highly decorated military vets?
Yes, it’s like we are all brothers. We all have each other’s backs on and off the field.
As far as closing remarks, Adame offered some chill-inducing perspective.
I love the game, so if I can continue to play and inspire others at the same time then it’s definitely a good day. Life throws us all curve balls, but if you can’t adjust, then what’s the point. My brothers on this team inspire me every time I see them on the field, they help me get better and maintain a positive attitude. The Army has been good to me and I have no regrets.
*****
If you’d like to nominate yourself or a friend for Bro of the Week, we’d welcome you with open arms. Please send all submissions to matt@brobible.com to be featured in next week’s column!