FALLS CHURCH Va.,- Retired Army Spc. David Snypes never met a sport he didn’t like or couldn’t do. From rock climbing to jumping on a pogo stick, Snypes does it all today, including bobsledding! Oh, and by the way, he is missing his left arm. “I’ve always played sports, but after my accident, I had to learn how to adapt,” said Snypes, who medically retired from the Army in 2016 after being hit by a car on his motorcycle in 2014.
“I just returned to the U.S. from post-deployment leave, took my motorcycle course, and got my license. I didn’t have a motorcycle yet, but my Dad was cool enough to let me use his the day I got my license. On my way back home, I got hit by a car.”
When he finally came to, he had already had five surgeries.” My left arm was swollen; they had to repair bones. I had bleeding on the brain, lung injuries, and a shoulder injury.” Snypes began his two-year recovery journey at Walter Reed. “I think it’s common, like most Soldiers. I didn’t know what a Soldier Recovery Unit was. Once I realized how bad it was, I thought everything was over. I wasn’t even aware of how good the benefits would be, how good the SRU would be for my recovery. I had no idea,” said the truck-driving logistics specialist.
