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Eagle Media

Eagles team with Wounded Warriors by supporting softball camp

The Wounded Warrior Project is a veterans’ service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following the events of 9/11. This allowed them to connect with children who are amputees.
According to USA Today, people are learning to do normal tasks without the use of their arms, hands or legs. Instead they use prosthesis. These people are overcoming the loss of a limb and resuming their normal lives.
Twelve-year-old Jace Ethridge is one of those kids who has been touched by Wounded Warrior events. He used to try to do everything without his hands. Since he was fitted for prosthesis, he can now attach a hook or the head of his lacrosse stick to the end of it.
“Any 9-year-old is going to want to throw a football,” said Jace’s mother, Kaci Ethridge. “So if he wanted to do it, we weren’t going to worry about the fact that he didn’t have hands.”
According to NBCNews.com, in addition to the daily practices and scrimmages at the ballpark, campers go on field trips to local sites such as Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger factory.
On the last day of the camp, the children got to put their new skills to the test on a real minor league field. They got the chance to stand at home plate and run the bases usually reserved for the pros.
Justin Feagin is another person involved in spending time with the kids. Feagin lost his leg in 2010 to an explosive device while serving in Afghanistan. He and the other Wounded Warriors left the children with a few simple words to remember from their time at the camp.
“Our team motto is, ‘Life without a limb is limitless,’ and so I hope they take that back with them,” Feagin said.
Journalist Frank Deford introduced the world to the Wounded Warriors Amputee Softball team in 2011. According to CraveOnline, Deford made a report about the camp for “Real Sports,” which debuted July 22 on HBO.
According to its website, the national Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team represents some of the nation’s bravest and most determined heroes, soldiers and veterans. These young men have sustained major injuries resulting in amputation while serving in the military. Through extensive rehabilitation, they have become competitive athletes once again.
So far, Florida Gulf Coast University has had involvement with the Wounded Warriors. According to FGCU Athletics, the department hosted the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team from Feb. 6-9.
The team got the chance to meet FGCU student athletes before heading to Marco Island on Saturday for a game with the Marco Island All Stars. Later on, the Wounded Warriors played an exhibition game against the FGCU Celebrity Team at Swanson Stadium.
The Wounded Warriors also got a chance to display their athletic talents in the sport they love to play. Despite the fact that the Wounded Warriors wear prosthetic legs and arms, their extreme perseverance, character and attitude never changes. These people also feel like they are a part of the FGCU Dunk City Family. The WWAST threw out the ceremonial first pitch at an FGCU softball game during the weekend that FGCU hosted the foundation.

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