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Rehabilitation gets traumatically injured veterans back on their feet. The Adaptive Training Foundation gets them running again. Not to mention surfing, mountain climbing and snowboarding. Former Staff Sgt. Darius Johnson has firsthand experience. The Lexington resident went through the foundation’s 9-week “Redefine” course last summer. The program is free to selected applicants. They travel to ATF’s 18,000 square foot gym in Dallas to participate. Many are veterans. Everything is provided – food, lodging, transportation and training. Recruits are coached to play sports with their injuries. Trainers, many of whom are volunteers, customize their exercise plans. At the end, there’s a “redeploy” trip to use new skills such as snowboarding, rock climbing and mountain biking. Past destinations have been California for surfing and Utah for skiing. Johnson went to Park City, Utah, for his outing in July. Johnson is a combat-wounded veteran. He served in the Army for 16 years. He lost his leg in Afghanistan in 2013. His team was ambushed during a mission. Johnson’s comrade stepped on an IED. It killed his comrade and took Johnson’s leg. Johnson said after the accident, he lost confidence. “I was super uncomfortable going to the gym,” he said. He didn’t know how to work out anymore. “I had issues with depression and my self image,” he added. “I wanted to change that.” When he discovered ATF on Facebook, he applied. ATF is a non-profit organization founded in 2014. Each year they offer 4 classes of up to 15 participants. To date, ATF has helped more than 140 individuals. The idea was born when former NFL player David Vobora met Staff Sgt. Travis Mills. Mills had undergone four amputations. Vobora welcomed Mills to his gym. They quickly became workout buddies. Vobora helped Mills create a regimen around his injuries. He realized there was a need for a program like ATF. 6 months later, the foundation was registered as a non-profit. Going through ATF is eyeopening, Johnson said. “You see that you’re not alone,” he added. Some are in worse situations. One of Johnson’s classmates was missing all of his limbs. Despite challenges, Johnson said there was never a point when he wanted to quit. Emotionally and mentally, that is. “I think my body felt [like quitting] at times,” he admitted. The goal is for trainees to “get comfortable feeling uncomfortable,” said Colin Anderson, ATF marketing director. That is how they face fears and grow. “If you treat people broken, they act broken,” Anderson added. The ATF gym has a “sympathy box.” When trainees feel sorry for themselves, they can stand in it until they feel better. Johnson said the expectations were always obtainable. “It didn’t set unrealistic goals,” he said. Coaches didn’t try to convince him he would look like Arnold Schwarzenegger by the end. They started him on a regimen for strength and endurance. Now Johnson said he can confidently go to the gym again with a workout plan. “I was able to adapt,” he said. Johnson said ATF is important because it ensures veterans are not forgotten. It’s far too easy for injured soldiers to “go off in the corner and fade away.” ATF has plans to expand. It’s getting the training program accredited so trainers across the country can use it at their gyms. The cost to attend ATF is $7,000 a person, Anderson said. Donors such as Starbucks and Toyota have sponsored entire classes at a time, giving between $70,000 and $105,000 each.