Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team honored at Bay Ridge bar

Turning trauma into triumph and inspiration is what the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) represents.

The team – all of whom were wounded while with the military — has traveled the country to play the game they love while inspiring crowds.

Starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 12 at 79^th Street and Shore Road Park, the WWAST will play its first game in Brooklyn against the Bay Ridge All Star Sluggers as well as the New York City First Responder Stars, both able-bodied teams. To raise awareness for the free day of Brooklyn baseball, three players from the team attended local Bay Ridge watering hole, The Kettle Black, 8622 Third Avenue, on June 17.

“Not only do we help other people but we help each other, said Lonnie Gaudet an Army veteran. The 29-year-old stepped on a land mine during his tour in Afghanistan in 2011. “We just did our annual kids camp where we brought out 20 children and taught them about softball. It’s impressive to see these little guys with amputations doing the things that you’re teaching them.”

Nonetheless, the road to recovery was not an easy one for these heroes.

“Where I am in my recovery right now, I’ve accepted what happened to me,” said Massachusetts native and Army veteran Greg Reynolds, who underwent a forequarter amputation on his left arm after being hit by a car before his second deployment in Iraq. “I was depressed. I was in therapy, but once I accepted what happened to me, there’s nothing that was holding me back.”

With time, these Wounded Warriors were able to move forward and make a significant difference in the lives of others, as well as their own, through baseball.

“[The team] motivated me because everybody goes through periods of depression and self pity,” added Gaudet who got an invitation to play on the team seven months ago. “It’s been amazing. You’re out there with 12 other guys who have the same or worse injuries and nobody’s talking about them. It’s just about guys playing ball.”

Reynolds echoed the inspiration sentiment. “Sports has been so monumental in my recovery.”

After playing in historic major league fields such as Fenway Park, the WWAST is excited to play in front of Brooklynites.

“It’s going to be one of the biggest events we do all year. And New York is the center of the world so it’s always exciting to be here,” said Army veteran Nick Clark, who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2007 and had his lower left leg amputated.

For Reynolds, the game will be extra special. “My grandmother is coming up from Florida because she lived in Brooklyn in early years,” he noted. “She’s really looking forward to watch me play ball.”

For more information on the WWAST, visit www.woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org.