Video by Sandi Moynihan

FORT HOOD, Texas—It was the last thing Master Sgt. Herbert Tate wanted to hear.

“Being in the Army, nobody wants to stop working out cause you’re trained all your life,” said Tate, who was injured in Afghanistan. “When you come to a point where somebody says you need to stop working out, it’s almost like a tragedy.”

That changed at Fort Hood in 2010 when the USO donated $48,000 to open the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) fitness facility, giving wounded warriors like Tate a new option to help them stay in shape. The WTB gym, which once served as office space, provides wounded soldiers with an adaptive facility to help them through their recoveries. The fitness center is home to a variety of equipment including balls, hand weights and elliptical machines that can all be adapted to accommodate a soldier’s physical injuries.

Gym users also have access to a physical therapist who can develop a specific exercise program tailored to their needs.

“When you come here, and somebody gives you alternative exercises that allow you to keep working out and keep in some type of shape,” Tate said. “It’s been wonderful.”