San Antonio, TX – Randy Adams, a decorated U.S. Army veteran who was given little chance of survival after a vicious street assault in Chicago, has not only beaten the odds but returned to active duty while turning his near-death experience into a powerful testimony of resilience and faith.
In 2016, then-Staff Sgt. Adams was on pre-deployment leave, preparing to ship out to Germany, when two former acquaintances ambushed him outside a Chicago convenience store. The unprovoked attack left him with catastrophic facial fractures, massive blood loss, and deep lacerations. What began as emergency trauma care quickly escalated into a fight for his life.
Within days, a severe infection surged through his body, triggering sepsis that caused catastrophic organ failure. His heart stopped multiple times. His kidneys and lungs shut down. Medics at a Chicago hospital stabilized him just long enough to airlift him to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, Texas, the military’s premier burn and trauma center.
Doctors placed Adams in a medically induced coma that lasted nearly a month. During that time, his family was told several times to prepare for the worst.
“He flat-lined more than once,” his mother, Deborah Adams, recalled. “The chaplain was called in. We were told his body was giving up.”
But Adams refused to surrender.
After emerging from the coma, he faced a grueling two-year recovery that included dozens of reconstructive surgeries, intensive physical therapy, and relentless pain. Permanent nerve damage, chronic migraines, and visible scarring became part of his daily reality.
Yet instead of leaving the Army or retreating into bitterness, Adams did the opposite: he re-enlisted, earned promotion to Sergeant First Class, and returned to full-time service.
“Getting attacked and almost dying didn’t change who I am,” Adams said in a recent interview at Fort Sam Houston. “It just reminded me why I put the uniform on in the first place—to serve something bigger than myself.”
Today, SFC Adams balances his military duties with a growing ministry. He speaks regularly at veterans’ events, churches, and wounded-warrior programs, sharing an unflinching account of his ordeal alongside an uncompromising message of hope rooted in his Christian faith.
“I’m not up there telling people life is easy,” he says. “I tell them life can be brutally hard, but you still get to choose what you do with the days you’re given. I choose purpose over pain every single time.”
His story has resonated widely. Fellow soldiers describe him as the embodiment of the Army values—loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Veterans battling PTSD, survivors of violent crime, and families facing medical crises have reached out by the hundreds, many saying his refusal to play the victim gave them permission to keep fighting.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bob Dees, president of the Military Ministry at Campus Crusade for Christ, calls Adams “a living sermon.”
“In a culture that often rewards victimhood, Randy stands up and says, ‘I was a victimized, but I will not live as a victim.’ That’s rare. That’s powerful.”
Nine years after the night he was left bleeding on a Chicago sidewalk, Randy Adams still bears the scars—both visible and hidden. But he wears them as reminders, not shackles.
“I almost didn’t make it,” he tells every audience. “But I did. And if God gave me a second shot at this life, I’m not wasting it feeling sorry for myself. I’m spending it helping the next guy stand back up.”
For booking information or to follow SFC Adams’ ongoing journey, visit his official Facebook page or contact the Wounded Warrior speakers bureau at BAMC.
Randy Adams didn’t just survive. He chose to live—on purpose, in uniform, and for others.