Department of Defense Warrior Games 2019 Official Program

2019 OFFICIAL PROGRAM

WE SALUTE THE WARRIORS UA FREEDOM’S SUPPORT OF THE WARRIOR GAMES SIGNIFIES OUR COMMITMENT TO ENRICHING THE LIVES OF WOUNDED SERVICE M E M B E R S T H RO U G H AT H L E T I C COMPETITION. A PORTION OF ALL UA FREEDOM PROCEEDS GO TOWARD O RG A N I Z AT I O N S T H AT S U PP O R T A N D INSPIRE AMERICAN VETERANS, ACTIVE M I L I TA RY A N D F I R S T R E S P O N D E R S .

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OFFICIAL PROGRAM

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BE INSPIRED!

Rob Hufford, Department of Defense Warrior Games athlete and Team Air Force member, is lifted up by his teammates after being awarded the “Heart of the Team” award for Team Air Force during the games’ closing ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 9, 2018. To determine the recipients of the award, athletes representing each service team voted for the member of their team who they believe embodied the heart of their team.

CALLING ALL WARRIORS...

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FRIDAY, JUNE 21 GOLF PRELIM 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Eagles Golf Course

SATURDAY, JUNE 22 TRACK 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

University of South Florida GOLF FINALS 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Eagles Golf Course OPENING CEREMONY 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Amalie Arena

SUNDAY, JUNE 23 FIELD 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

University of South Florida WHEELCHAIR TENNIS 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

University of South Florida CYCLING TIME TRIAL 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Bayshore Boulevard

MONDAY, JUNE 24 ARCHERY PRELIM 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center POWERLIFTING 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL PRELIM 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center

TUESDAY, JUNE 25 ARCHERY FINALS 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center INDOOR ROWING 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL PRELIM 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center

SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26

CYCLING ROAD RACE 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

MacDill Air Force Base WHEELCHAIR RUGBY PRELIM 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center SITTING VOLLEYBALL PRELIM 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center

THURSDAY, JUNE 27 SHOOTING 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center WHEELCHAIR RUGBY PRELIM 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center SITTING VOLLEYBALL PRELIM 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center

FRIDAY, JUNE 28 SHOOTING 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center WHEELCHAIR RUGBY FINALS 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tampa Convention Center WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL FINALS 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 29 SWIMMING 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Long Aquatic Center

SUNDAY, JUNE 30 SITTING VOLLEYBALL FINALS 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Yuengling Center

CLOSING CEREMONY 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Amalie Arena

M E DA L C E R E M O N I E S WI LL B E H E LD TH RO U G H O U T TH E S PO R TI N G E V E NTS 2019 Warrior Games

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EVENT LOCATIONS

Long Aquatic Center 1501 N. Belcher Rd. Clearwater, FL 33765

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2019 Warrior Games

The Eagles Golf Club 16101 Nine Eagles Dr. Odessa, FL 33556

USF Track & Field Stadium USF Tennis Courts Tampa, FL 33617

Yuengling Center 12499 USF Bull Run Dr. Tampa, FL 33617

Amalie Arena 401 Channelside Dr. Tampa, FL 33602 Bayshore Boulevard Tampa, FL 33629

Tampa Convention Center 333 S. Franklin St. Tampa, FL 33602

MacDill Air Force Base 6801 S. Dale Mabry Hwy. Tampa, FL 33621

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CONTENTS

Schedule............................................................................... 5 Area Map and Venues.......................................................... 6 The 2019 Warrior Games: ‘‘Be Inspired’’............................... 10

By Craig Collins Supporters Thank You........................................................ 20 The Events.......................................................................... 22 Family Fun Expo................................................................. 28 Team Air Force................................................................... 30 Air Force Athlete Profile: Blanca Baquero-Cruz................. 40

By Craig Collins Team Army......................................................................... 42 Army Athlete Profile: Joshua Olson................................... 52

By Craig Collins Team Marine Corps............................................................ 54 Marine Corps Athlete Profile: Patrick Nugent.................... 62

By Craig Collins Team Navy.......................................................................... 64 Navy Athlete Profile: Joe Paterniti..................................... 72

By Craig Collins Team SOCOM..................................................................... 74 SOCOM Athlete Profile: Clay Pendergrass......................... 84

By Craig Collins Team UK............................................................................. 86 Team Australia................................................................... 90 Team Canada...................................................................... 94 Team Netherlands............................................................ 100 Team Denmark................................................................. 103 Venue Maps...................................................................... 104

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2019 Warrior Games

2019 OFFICIAL PROGRAM Published by Faircount Media Group 4915 W. Cypress St. Tampa, FL 33607 Tel: 813.639.1900 www.defensemedianetwork.com www.faircount.com EDITORIAL Editor in Chief: Chuck Oldham Managing Editor: Ana E. Lopez Editor: Rhonda Carpenter Contributing Writer: Craig Collins DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Art Director/Project Designer: Robin K. McDowall Venue Maps Design: Daniel Mrgan ADVERTISING Ad Traffic Manager: Art Dubuc III Account Executives: John Caianiello, Steve Chidel, Christopher Day Art Dubuc III, Patrick Pruitt, Geoffrey Weiss OPER ATIONS AND ADMINISTR ATION Chief Operating Officer: Lawrence Roberts VP, Business Development: Robin Jobson Business Development: Damion Harte Business Analytics Manager: Colin Davidson Interns: Julia Debs, Emily Falcone, Patrick Freer Julia McCabe, Nicholas Meye, Matthew Nussbaum Alison Salama, Stephanie Zamudio

ŠCopyright 2019 U.S. Government, as represented by the Secretary of Defense. All rights reserved. Published by Faircount LLC, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Department of Defense Warrior Games, U.S. Special Operations Command, or the Department of Defense, under accepted proffer to U.S. Special Operations Command. This commercial enterprise publication is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military services and DOD civilian employees. Contents of the publication are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, DOD, or U.S. Special Operations Command. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the U.S. Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by DOD, U.S. Special Operations Command, the DOD Warrior Games, or Faircount LLC, of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.

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THE 2019 WARRIOR GAMES ‘‘Be Inspired’’

BY CRAIG COLLINS

W

hen the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) hosts the Department of Defense (DOD) Warrior Games in Tampa, Florida, in the last week of June 2019, it will be the 10th year of an event that has blossomed into an international adaptive multi-sport event, a showcase of the grit, determination, and fellowship of the world’s wounded, ill, and injured warriors.

Founded in 2010, the first official Warrior Games were hosted by the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado – but there had been other competitions in the years leading up to them. As Army Col. Cary Harbaugh, director of SOCOM’s Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition), remembers, the games held from 2010 to 2014 were more like intramural competitions among wounded warriors from the different service branches. At the 2010 games, said Harbaugh, the SOCOM team was in its infancy stage. We were writing ‘Team SOCOM’ with markers on white T-shirts.”

Jim Lorraine, the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served as the Care Coalition’s first director, explained why SOCOM athletes might have looked a little shabbier than other competitors: “None of the services wanted us to have our own team,” he said. Through much of his 20052011 tenure, Lorraine fought to get warriors who’d been served by the SOCOM Care Coalition to be recognized as a separate team at adaptive sports competitions, but the service branches were reluctant, for two reasons: They thought the Care Coalition’s team would take all the good athletes, and

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they thought recognizing a Team SOCOM would suggest special operations forces were service branch equivalent to the others. For a few years, Lorraine said, organizers of the games wouldn’t allow the SOCOM team to choose a uniform shirt color – hence the white T-shirts.

L o r r a i n e ’s l o b by i n g e f fo r t wa s two-pronged: First, he argued the athletes at the games weren’t representing service branches, but individual warrior transition programs: the SOCOM Care Coalition, the Army Wounded Warrior Program, the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor, and the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.

Second, he negotiated deals. He told the Navy, for example, that the Care Coalition would take only half the eligible SEALs; the Navy team could keep the rest.

“I knew that if we got our foot in the door,” Lorraine said, “we would be able to stay. I was willing to give up anything: T-shirt colors? I didn’t care. Just let us have a team.”

The first four annual Warrior Games were hosted in Colorado Springs by the U.S. Olympic Training Center, and they immediately captured the public’s interest. Britain’s Prince Harry, who was at the time a helicopter pilot in the British Army, participated in the opening of the 2013 games, and was so inspired by the games he created a similar event, the Invictus Games, launched the following year in London.

The success of the games animated DOD leaders to throw the military’s support behind them and administer the Warrior Games as

DOD PHOTO BY MARK REIS

U.S. Army Spc. Brent Garlic celebrates winning the U.S. Army Heart of the Team award during the Closing Ceremony at the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games June 9, 2018, at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The DOD Warrior Games are an annual event, established in 2010, to introduce wounded, ill, and injured service members to adaptive sports as a way to enhance their recovery and rehabilitation.

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No Federal endorsement of sponsor intended.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOTTOMS, USSOCOM OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 3RD CLASS JAILENE CASSO

a DOD program, with a more formalized structure and event classifications. The games became more like the Olympics, with opening and closing ceremonies and each of the U.S. teams taking turns as hosts of the event: • The 2015 Warrior Games were hosted by the Marines and held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

ABOVE: Army Sgt. 1st Class Brant Ireland from Team SOCOM celebrates accepting the flame for the 2019 Warrior Games as Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, thencommander, U.S. Special Operations Command, and Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force, applaud during the 2018 Warrior Games closing ceremony held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. LEFT: Steven Davis, a Navy veteran, participates in the 2019 Navy golf trials at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, California, March 19, 2019. Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor and NAS North Island were hosting the Navy Trials, in which athletes competed to qualify in 13 adaptive sports.

• The 2016 games were hosted by the Army and held at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.

• The 2017 games were hosted by the Navy and, for the first time, held somewhere other than a military base or U.S. Olympic training facility. Athletes competed at sites in and around the city of Chicago, with opening c ere monies e mc e e d by c ome dian Jon Stewart at Soldier Field.

• The 2018 games, hosted by the Air Force, returned to Colorado Springs, where they were held at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

“When you go to the Warrior Games now,” said Harbaugh, “you’d think you were at the Olympics, because it feels that way. It has the torch and the cauldron and the march of the teams, the pomp and ceremony. It’s grown as it’s evolved, and now it’s just a beautiful event.”

The Life-Altering Benefits of Adaptive Sports The Warrior Games can be traced to physical rehabilitation programs that sprang up in the wake of World War II, of which adaptive sports were a key component. Originally designed for rehabilitation and

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DOD PHOTO BY CYRUS MCCRIMMON

recreation, these sports soon became competitive.

After the first official Paralympic Games were held in 1960, a number of organizations began forming in the United States to promote sports for people with physical disabilities. One of the first, Disabled Sports USA, was founded by disabled military veterans, and remains one of the largest organizations of its kind in the world.

According to retired Army Gen. Bryan “Doug” Brown, the former SOCOM commander who established the Care Coalition in 2005, adaptive sports played an important role in the program since its beginnings, when sports rehabilitation facilities were contracted to help clients improve their ability to perform physical functions. “They were very good at rehabilitation of guys with missing limbs,” he said.

“The type of people who are in special operations are traditionally athletic, outgoing, and love to exercise.

So those programs were a good fit.”

After the success of the inaugural Warrior Games in 2010, DOD launched its own program, now carried out at three medical treatment facilities: the Military Adaptive Sports Program (MASP). Administered by the DOD Office of Warrior Care Policy, the program attempts to enhance recovery by getting wounded, ill, and injured service members involved in ongoing,

The indoor rowing competition at the Clune Arena during the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs on June 9, 2018.

The Warrior Games are a Paralympic-style annual competition to provide adaptive sports opportunities for wounded, ill, and injured service members from all U.S. service branches and international military teams.

daily adaptive sports and activities based on their interest and ability.

To those who’ve been clients of SOCOM’s Care Coalition, the benefits of adaptive sports often extend far beyond restoring physical function. “We use adaptive sports to promote wellness and inspiration,” said Harbaugh. “It really helps people heal emotionally.”

When her Special Forces team was patrolling near Kandahar in March 2014, then-Sgt. Lauren Montoya suffered a severe leg injury from an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, and spent the next year undergoing painful limb salvage treatments. Montoya had been a multi-sport athlete in high school, and had stayed fit by running countless laps around a makeshift track at her firebase in Afghanistan, but in the year after her injury, nearly every kind of movement hurt, and she was unable to walk even a quarter of a mile. As she imagined a life spent dragging around a useless and painful appendage, she tended toward despair. SOCOM’s Care Coalition helped her lobby to have the leg amputated, which was finally done in April 2015 – and within 45 days she was running on her new prosthetic leg.

“Being part of the adaptive sports program prior to that, I think, affected my mental health more

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DOD PHOTO BY JOHN LEYBA

than my physical health, because I was really angry. I was frustrated at the process. And being around individuals who had either gone through the same process, or were just there offering moral support, was something I think really helped during that time.”

Harbaugh, who took over the program just as Montoya became a client, saw this happening firsthand. “Adaptive sports brought her back to life,” he said. “I watched a very gloomy young woman who had been very badly injured and was going through limb salvage, which was very painful, and ultimately made the choice to go the amputation route. And I watched that young woman in a dark, dark hole – you could tell she was there – crawl out of that to be fun and energetic and enthusiastic, a person who is a joy to be around.”

Montoya competed in the 2016 Invictus Games and 2018 Warrior Games, medaling in multiple events. At last year’s games, in Colorado Springs, she competed in track, field, swimming, and seated volleyball, and won five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze. She’s carried the motivation that

Athletes compete during the archery competition at Holiday Athletic Center during the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 7, 2018, at the Cadet Gym.

drove her to excel in adaptive sports, she said, into her career and family life. She’s married now, with a daughter, and after fighting to remain on active duty, she’s a staff sergeant on SOCOM’s Care Coalition staff, helping to coordinate the 2019 games in Tampa.

“Whether you want to stay in the military or not, in order to thrive in any sort of capacity, you have to have that drive to want to do better, be better,” she said. “So having opportunities to ignite that feeling again was, at least for me, pretty crucial in making me stop – it’s too easy to feel sorry for yourself. But you realize a lot of people in similar situations are doing all of this stuff, so there is no reason for me to be upset or to feel like I can’t do something, because here are – whatever the injury, whatever the illness – here are these people trying to make the best of it.”

The 2019 Games Training for and competing in the Warrior Games has never been the primar y focus of

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U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. KENT REDMOND

DOD’s MASP, but the games offer a showcase, a pinnacle event, for service members and veterans who participate in adaptive sports throughout the year as part of their recovery and rehabilitation process.

The 2019 games, hosted by SOCOM June 21-30 in Tampa, will feature about 300 service members and veterans representing the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and SOCOM. Athletes will also be competing from an unprecedented number of international teams, including from the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Canada.

The roster of events includes archery, cycling, indoor rowing, wheelchair tennis, powerlifting, shooting, seated volleyball, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball – and, for the first time in Warrior Games history, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, and golf.

The Tampa games will feature opening and closing ceremonies in Amalie Arena, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.

Other venues will include the Tampa Convention Center, the University of South Florida, the Eagles Golf Club in nearby Odessa, and the Long Aquatic Center in Clearwater. Cycling events will be held both at MacDill Air Force Base and on Tampa’s scenic Bayshore Boulevard.

“It’s going to be an absolutely amazing event,” said Harbaugh. “It’s 300 athletes, about a thousand or more family members, and as many people in the Tampa community and surrounding areas as we can get out to fill these stadiums and show these wounded warriors how much the public appreciates their service and sacrifice.”

One of the distinctive features of the Tampa games, Harbaugh said, is the degree to which they draw on the support of the community – an established tradition in the city that’s home to MacDill Air Force Base and SOCOM Headquarters. “The way this community supports the military and veterans is like no place I’ve been in this country,” said Harbaugh. Tampa’s community leaders have helped establish a new model for the Warrior Games, one that minimizes taxpayer costs while drawing in private-sector support in a way that respects the dignity and individuality of competitors. In accordance with DOD rules, for example, operators of the various venues are offering discounted access.

“That outpouring has been absolutely phenomenal,” Harbaugh said. Community support has kept the costs of the games down low enough that SOCOM is on track to refund some of the event funding to the DOD for its warrior care programs. It will be the first time in Warrior Games history that the program has been under budget.

Medalists celebrate their win in the indoor rowing event of the DOD Warrior Games at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 9, 2018. The Warrior Games include opening and closing ceremonies as well as medal ceremonies for the various athletic events.

The support pouring in from the community, however, won’t take the form of corporate logos plastered all over venues or competitors. “Our model is community supported, not corporately sponsored,” Harbaugh said. “The only logo they should wear is the Warrior Games logo, which they earned.”

To learn details about the 2019 Warrior Games and receive updates about events, competitors, and schedules, DOD maintains several online information portals, including its website (dodwarriorgames.com), a Facebook page (facebook.com/ WarriorGames), and Twitter feed (twitter.com/ warriorgames). All of the games’ competitions are open to the public and free of charge.

Visitors to the 2019 games will likely see Staff Sgt. Lauren Montoya, who will be competing for the last time. She’s battled, won, and made lifelong friends among her SOCOM team members and other competitors. “You can’t stay forever,” she said. “You’ve got to move on and let other people get those same benefits. It’s fun for me now, but it’s no longer essential for my recovery. It’s something I do because I love it, and I love the team, and I love my teammates. But I know there are other people who are still getting deployed, still getting injured, still getting sick – and they need to have that opportunity to go through it, to find meaning and motivation or just to feel like part of a team again.”

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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

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6th Air Mobility Wing

Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

6th Logistics Readiness Squadron

Eagles Golf Club

6th Medical Group

EPIC Services

319th Minimal Care Detachment

EquiCenter

Air Force Association

Faircount Media Group

AMALIE Arena

FedEx

Amazon

First Nation Group

American Red Cross – Tampa Bay Chapter

Fisher House Foundation

Bake More Pies

Fox Sports Florida

Baker Barrios Architects

Glazer Children’s Museum

BayCare

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce

Bobby Hicks Aquatic Center

Rob Higgins

The Body Band

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

Bob Buckhorn

iHeartRadio

Capital One

Implus LLC/RockTape

Mayor Jane Castor

International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics

chewys.com

Invacare

Cisco Systems

Irving Burton Associates (IBA)

City of Clearwater

Vincent Jackson

City of Tampa

James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital

Clearwater Fire Rescue

Joint Communications Support Element

Commander, Navy Installations Command NAF

Joe Lewis Company

Current Chiropractic

Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park

Defense Health Agency

Kids Wish Network

Defense Media Activity

Long Aquatic Center

2019 Warrior Games

Metis Solutions

Tampa Bay Lightning

MobilityWorks

Tampa Bay Rays

Moffitt Cancer Center

Tampa Bay Sports Commission

Navy Operational Support Center Tampa

Tampa Convention Center

News Channel 8

Tampa Fire Rescue

Titus O’Neil

Tampa International Airport

Operation BBQ Relief

Tampa Museum of Art

OrthoLinks Orthopedics and Rehabilitation

Tampa Police Department

Orthopaedic Medical Group of Tampa Bay

Tampa Tarpons

Pepin Distributing Company

Tampa Vet Center

Pepsi Company

Tarpon Woods Golf Club

Physician Partners of America

Taurus Flavors

Pro Link Sports

TheraGun

Quantum Leap Farm

Under Armour

RevTech

Uniform Nametape

SERVE Advisory Group

United Service Organizations

SiriusXM Jennifer Hammond Show

United Services Automobile Association

SOCOM Para-commandos

United Through Reading

SOFWERX

University of South Florida

South Tampa Chamber of Commerce

University of Tampa

Special Operations Command Central

USSOCOM Deployment-Cell

Kurt and Malia Spranger

U.S. Veterans Chamber of Commerce

St. Pete Bicycle & Fitness

Vantage Mobility International

Jan Stephenson

Councilman Luis Viera

STEPPS Towing & Heavy Equipment

Walking with Warriors Ministry

Stetson University College of Law, Tampa

WFLA TV

Jon Stewart

The Wound Healing Foundation

Sulzer

Wounded Warrior Abilities Ranch

Support the Troops USA

Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Zephyrhills Water

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THE EVENTS ARCHERY

COMPETITION

• Archery is composed of five categories: Individual Compound Open, Individual Compound/ Recurve Open Visually Impaired (VI), Individual Recurve Open, Team Compound, and Team Recurve.

• Participants may shoot compound and recurve bows from a standing or seated position.

• Men and women will be combined for all archery events.

ROAD RACE CYCLING

COMPETITION

• The cycling competition includes hand, recumbent, upright, and tandem bicycles. Competition events are time trial and road races.

Road race distances are 10 km, 20 km, and 30 km based on type of bicycle and athlete classification.

• Teams are allowed six athletes from each gender for each competition classification.

Classification • Athletes are assigned classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Competition classifications are based on the type of bicycle used, as well each athlete’s ability. The lower the athlete’s class number, the greater the functional limitations.

TIME TRIAL CYCLING

Classification

• Athletes are assigned classification categories based on functional abilities including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Competition distances are based on the type of bicycle used, as well as an athlete’s functional ability.

The lower the athlete’s class number, the greater the functional limitations.

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FIELD

COMPETITION

• Field events include seated shot put, standing shot put, seated discus, and standing discus.

• The weights of the shot put and discus vary for men and women in both the seated and standing events.

Classification Athletes compete in different classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Athletes with lower function and/or impaired balance use specialized equipment, such as the field throwing chair.

INDOOR ROWING COMPETITION

• Each team is allowed up to 12 start rights in the indoor rowing competition.

• Indoor rowing events include 1-minute individual sprint race and 4-minute individual endurance race. Athletes may compete in one or both events.

Classification Athletes compete across six classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Based on athlete functional classification, athletes compete by use of upper-body-only categories, use of upper-body-and-trunk-only categories, or use of upper-body, trunk, and lower-body categories.

POWERLIFTING

COMPETITION

• Each team is allowed up to eight start rights in the powerlifting competition.

• During the bench press, athletes must lower the bar to the chest, hold it motionless on the chest, and then press it upward to arm’s length with locked elbows.

Classification • Bench press is the sport’s single discipline and is open to male and female athletes.

• Athletes compete solely by body weight divisions regardless of functional ability. There are four weight categories per gender - Women up to 55kg, 67 kg, 86 kg, and 86 kg+; Men – up to 72 kg, 88 kg, 107 kg, 107 kg+.

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SHOOTING

COMPETITION

Shooting competitors use air pistols and rifles to fire a series of shots at a stationary electronic target. Shooting categories are: air pistol, air rifle (standing), and air rifle (prone), all at a distance of 10 meters.

Classification Athletes compete in different classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

SITTING VOLLEYBALL

COMPETITION

• Teams may enter a maximum of 12 players. Teams may be composed of athletes of the same gender or mixed gender.

• The tournament consists of pool and bracket play formats. Upon completion of pool play, pool winners will advance to bracket play and determine which teams contest the Bronze and Gold Medal matches.

Classification • Athletes are classified into one of three classification categories based on functional physical limitations: Minimum category = minimal functional limitations; Moderate category = moderate functional limitations; and Maximum category = maximum functional limitations.

• A team must always have six players on the court. The maximum number of any one classification minimum, moderate, or maximum players on the court at any one time is five players. Any other combination of classifications is permitted to field the court with six players.

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SWIMMING

COMPETITION

• Swim events include the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 50-yard backstroke, and 50-yard breaststroke in both men’s and women’s categories. Relay races offered are mixed classifications: men only, women only, and mixed gender.

Classification • Athletes compete in different classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Athletes are allowed to dive, sit on the platform, or be in the water at the beginning of the race. The way an athlete starts is determined by the athlete’s classification.

TRACK

COMPETITION

• Track includes races in the standing and wheelchair racing categories at distances of 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1,500 meters. Relay races offered are mixed classifications: men only, women only, and mixed gender.

Classification • Athletes compete in different classification categories based on functional abilities, including impaired muscle power/range of movement, limb deficiency, and visual impairment.

• Athletes with lower function and/or impaired balance use specialized equipment, such as a wheelchair racing chair.

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WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

COMPETITION

• Teams may enter a maximum of 10 players. Teams may be composed of athletes of the same gender or mixed gender.

• The tournament consists of pool and bracket play formats. Upon completion of pool play, pool winners will advance to bracket play and determine which teams contest the Bronze and Gold Medal games.

Classification • Athletes are classified into one of three classification categories based on functional physical limitations: Minimum category = minimal functional limitations; Moderate category = moderate functional limitations; and Maximum category = maximum functional limitations.

• A team must always have five players on the court. The maximum number of any one classification minimum, moderate, or maximum players on the court at any one time is four players. Any other combination of classifications is permitted to field the court with five players.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS

TEAM COMPETITION

• Teams may enter two mixed double teams. Teams may be composed of athletes of the same gender or mixed gender.

• The tournament consists of pool and bracket play formats. Upon completion of pool play, pool winners will advance to bracket play and determine which teams contest the Bronze and Gold medal matches.

Classification • Wheelchair tennis is an open classification sport. The open classification applies to all athletes from all physical impairment groups.

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GOLF

COMPETITION

• Golf offers both team and individual competitions. Team competition features any combination of gender whereas individual competition features male and female divisions.

• The combined individual scores of the top three golfers determines team competition results. All golf scores apply to individual competition results.

Classification • Golf is an open classification sport. The open classification applies to all athletes from all physical impairment groups.

• Locations of teeing areas are adjusted based upon differences in gender, degrees of physical impairment, and average driver distance of golfer.

WHEELCHAIR RUGBY

TEAM COMPETITION

• Teams may enter a maximum of 10 players. Teams may be composed of athletes of the same gender or mixed gender.

• The tournament consists of pool and bracket play formats. Upon completion of pool play, pool winners will advance to bracket play and determines which teams contest the Bronze and Gold medal games.

Classification • Athletes are classified into one of three classification categories based on functional physical limitations: Minimum category = minimal functional limitations; Moderate category = moderate functional limitations; and Maximum category = maximum functional limitations.

• A team must always have four players on the court. The maximum number of any one classification – minimum, moderate, or maximum – of players on the court at any one time is three players. Any other combination of classifications is permitted to field the court with four players.

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FAMILY FUN EXPO HILTON HOTEL

JUNE 21, 2019

Blue Star Mothers Provide Children Goodie Bags Filled with Fun Activities

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA JUNE 22, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Tent Operation Gratitude Paracord Bracelet Making City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Temporary Tattoos; Crafts Tampa Bay Bucs Street Team RV; Madden 2019 Gaming Stations; Cornhole Games Kids Wish Network Toy Distribution

JUNE 23, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Tent Kids Wish Network Toy Distribution Tampa Bay Bucs Street Team RV; Madden 2019 Gaming Stations; Cornhole Games Lightning Street Team Street Hockey Rink Brickz 4 Kidz STEM/LEGO Activities for Kids; Raffles Tampa Tarpons Prize Raffle; Jenga; Plink-O Games; Blue to Autograph Tampa Museum of Art Learning Through Art

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TAMPA CONVENTION CENTER JUNE 24, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Suite Tampa Public Library Story Time Bricks 4 Kidz STEM/LEGO Activities for Kids; Raffles United Through Reading Recording of Children Reading Books; Free Books

JUNE 25, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Suite United Through Reading Recording of Children Reading Books; Free Books Tampa Tarpons Prize Raffle; Jenga; Plink-O Games; Blue to Autograph

JUNE 26, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Suite United Through Reading Recording of Children Reading Books; Free Books Tampa Museum of Art Learning Through Art

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE JUNE 26, 2019

Lightning Street Team Street Hockey Rink FedEx NASCAR Trailer and Car (Rev-up Engine; Display Inside of Trailer) Rolling Thunder Fun Truck; Trailer; Thunder Bug and Lightning Girls Greet Families Tampa Tarpons Prize Raffle; Jenga; Plink-O Games; Blue to Autograph

JUNE 27, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Suite Bricks 4 Kidz STEM/LEGO Activities for Kids; Raffles United Through Reading Recording of Children Reading Books; Free Books Glazer Children’s Museum Character Appearance; Dino Bowling FedEx NASCAR Trailer and Car (Rev-up Engine; Display Inside of Trailer)

QUANTUM LEAP FARM JUNE 29, 2019

Horseback Riding 10401 Woodstock Rd. Odessa, FL 33556

JUNE 28, 2019

Fisher House Hospitality Suite Bricks 4 Kidz STEM/LEGO Activities for Kids; Raffles Glazer Children’s Museum Character Appearance; Dino Bowling

JUNE 29, 2019

Air Force Association Hospitality Suite Arts and Crafts; Face Painting Photo Booth; Board Games

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TEAM AIR FORCE

The Air Force understands the power adaptive sports and reconditioning activities have to promote healing. In light of this, the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program (AFW2) incorporated athletics into a restorative care approach that focuses on an individual’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. AFW2 strives to provide well-coordinated, personalized support and advocacy to each wounded, ill, and injured service member, as well as his/her family and/or caregivers. Airmen enrolled in AFW2 go through a seven-phase Continuum of Care that starts with identification of one’s condition and continues through stabilization/ resolution; adaptive sports are introduced during the member’s recovery phase. Airmen begin their path to the Warrior Games by participating in Warrior CARE events throughout the country, then competing and qualifying at the Air Force Trials – working with expert coaches

PHOTOS BY MSGT DAVE LONG

to prepare for competition.

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TEAM AIR FORCE

Master Sgt. Blanca L. Baquero-Cruz U.S. Air Force Current Location: Joint Base ElemendorfRichardson, Alaska Hometown: Papillon-La Vista, Nebraska Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Swimming, Track, Cycling

Senior Airman John Berry U.S. Air Force Current Location: Creech Air Force Base, Nevada Hometown: Detroit, Michigan Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Field, Track, Wheelchair Rugby

Staff Sgt. Brian Biviano U.S. Air National Guard Current Location: Chittenango, New York Hometown: Cazenovia, New York Event(s): Field, Shooting, Swimming, Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Golf

Staff Sgt. Bryon C. Brightman Sr. U.S. Air Force Current Location: Joint Base San AntonioLackland, Texas Hometown: Pflugerville, Texas Event(s): Shooting, Swimming, Golf, Cycling

Senior Airman Brett Campfield U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington Hometown: Wilton, California Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Field, Shooting, Swimming, Track, Powerlifting, Archery, Ultimate Champion

Staff Sgt. Kristina Coble U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Indian Harbour Beach, Florida Hometown: Indian Harbour Beach, Florida Event(s): Cycling, Field, Swimming, Track, Powerlifting

Staff Sgt. Christine M. Davila-Lucier U.S. Air Force Current Location: Glenville, New York Hometown: Walton, New York Event(s): Cycling, Track, Wheelchair Tennis

Master Sgt. Joshua Adam Faine U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Jacksonville, Florida Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Track

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The Amputee Coalition has a partnership with The Department of Veterans Affairs and The Department of Defense to provide programs, services and support to people who have experienced amputation.

Contact the Amputee Coalition National Limb Loss Resource Center for more information at: 888-267-5669, or visit us online at: amputee-coalition.org.

This was supported, in part, by grant number 90LL0002-03-04, from the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.

No Federal endorsement of sponsor intended.

TEAM AIR FORCE

Technical Sgt. Steve Fourman U.S. Air National Guard Current Location: Robins Air Force Base, Georgia Hometown: Warner Robins, Georgia Event(s): Field, Rowing

Technical Sgt. Larry R. Franklin, Jr. U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Brandenburg, Kentucky Hometown: Brandenburg, Kentucky Event(s): Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Golf

Senior Airman DeMarcus Garrett U.S. Air Force Reserve Current Location: Lawrence, Kansas Hometown: Dallas, Texas Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Master Sgt. Lisa Goad U.S. Air Force Current Location: San Antonio, Texas Hometown: North Providence, Rhode Island Event(s): Cycling, Field, Swimming, Track

Technical Sgt. ChuntĂŠ T. Gonzalez U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Manassas, Virginia Hometown: Coronado, California Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Rowing, Field, Shooting, Swimming, Track, Powerlifting, Ultimate Champion

Staff Sgt. Kevin J. Greene U.S. Air Force Reserve Current Location: Melbourne, Florida Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Master Sgt. Kenneth Guinn U.S. Air Force Current Location: Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida Hometown: Sunray, Texas Event(s): Archery, Track, Field, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Master Sgt. Quinn Harrington U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: New Market, Maryland Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Event(s): Track, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby

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TEAM AIR FORCE

Master Sgt. Roger Hopkins U.S. Air Force Current Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Track, Powerlifting, Swimming

Capt. Lawrence R. Hufford II U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio Event(s): Archery, Rowing, Field, Swimming, Powerlifting

Chief Master Sgt. Garrett K. Kuwada U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Makakilo, Hawaii Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Track, Field

Technical Sgt. Roann R. Leatz U.S. Air National Guard Current Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Hometown: Victorville, California Event(s): Field, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Golf, Swimming

Staff Sgt. Jordan N. Lee-Fatt U.S. Air Force Current Location: Sunrise, Florida Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida Event(s): Cycling, Track, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball

Master Sgt. Melissa Martinez U.S. Air Force Current Location: Eglin Air Force Base, Florida Hometown: Middleburg Heights, Ohio Event(s): Rowing, Field, Track, Wheelchair Tennis

Technical Sgt. Jayson J. McCoy U.S. Air Force Current Location: New Braunfels, Texas Hometown: Richlands, Virginia Event(s): Field, Shooting, Swimming, Golf

Maj. Lisa McCranie U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska Event(s): Rowing, Swimming, Track, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby

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Fisher House Foundation A Proud Partner of the 2019 Warrior Games For nearly 30 years, the Fisher House program has provided “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major US military and veterans’ medical centers. These homes offer free, temporary lodging to military and veterans’ families, allowing them to be close to their loved ones during a medical crisis and focus on what’s important—the healing process.

For many Warrior Games competitors, their journey to recovery began at Fisher House.

We congratulate you on your successes and celebrate how far you’ve come. Fisher House Foundation is honored to support all the military, veterans and their families participating in Warrior Games.

www.fisherhouse.org

TEAM AIR FORCE

Capt. Kristen Morris U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Hurlburt Field, Florida Hometown: Camas, Washington Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Technical Sgt. Melissa Ann Nueva U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Omaha, Nebraska Hometown: Duluth, Minnesota Event(s): Cycling, Shooting, Swimming, Powerlifting

Senior Airman Joseph A. Pate U.S. Air Force Current Location: Branson, Missouri Hometown: Branson, Missouri Event(s): Archery, Rowing, Field, Track, Sitting Volleyball

Staff Sgt. Seth PeĂąa U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Boerne, Texas Hometown: Boerne, Texas Event(s): Archery, Field, Shooting, Swimming, Golf

Technical Sgt. Michele Prindle U.S. Air Force Current Location: San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana Event(s): Rowing, Field, Swimming, Golf

Senior Airman Lucas R. Purser U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Buffalo, New York Hometown: Massena, New York Event(s): Field, Shooting, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Technical Sgt. Ricardo Rivera U.S. Air Force Current Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Hometown: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Track, Sitting Volleyball

Master Sgt. Andres Rodriguez U.S. Air Force Current Location: Grimes, Iowa Hometown: Gurabo, Puerto Rico Event(s): Field, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby, Track, Tennis

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TEAM AIR FORCE

Technical Sgt. William Royster U.S. Air Force Current Location: Owensboro, Kentucky Hometown: Horse Branch, Kentucky Event(s): Cycling, Shooting, Swimming, Track

Technical Sgt. Joshua Smith U.S. Air Force Veteran Current Location: Spanish Fork, Utah Hometown: Horse Fairfield, Montana Event(s): Cycling, Field, Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Staff Sgt. Melinda Smith U.S. Air Force Reserve Current Location: Ridgeley, West Virginia Hometown: Cross, West Virginia Event(s): Archery, Field, Shooting

Senior Master Sgt. David A. Snyder U.S. Air Force Current Location: Langley Air Force Base, Virginia Hometown: Lancaster, California Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Track

Technical Sgt. Justice Stevens U.S. Air Force Current Location: Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada Hometown: Normal, Illinois Event(s): Archery, Track, Powerlifting, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Aaron Craig Taylor U.S. Air Force Current Location: Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana Hometown: El Dorado, Arkansas Event(s): Field, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Archery

Senior Master Sgt. Brian Williams U.S. Air Force Current Location: Joint Base San AntonioLackland, Texas Hometown: Sierra Vista, Arizona Event(s): Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby

Capt. Heather Wright U.S. Air National Guard Current Location: Martinsburg, West Virginia Hometown: Berkeley County, West Virginia Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Field, Shooting, Swimming

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Be Inspired:

BLANCA BAQUERO-CRUZ

BY CRAIG COLLINS

BLANCA BAQUERO-CRUZ GREW UP IN THE AIR FORCE: HER FATHER BEGAN HIS TWO DECADES OF SERVICE AS AN EMERGENCY ROOM TECHNICIAN AND LATER TRAINED TO BECOME AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER, THE ONLY JOB SHE REMEMBERS HIM DOING. HIS CAREER TOOK THE FAMILY FROM OKLAHOMA, WHERE BAQUERO-CRUZ WAS BORN, TO SPAIN, NEW MEXICO, MISSISSIPPI, AND NEBRASKA, WHERE HER FATHER RETIRED AND SHE JOINED THE SERVICE IN 1999. “I SOMETIMES JOKE WITH PEOPLE THAT I’VE ACTUALLY SERVED FOR 40 YEARS,” SHE SAID, “BECAUSE THAT’S HOW LONG I’VE LIVED ON AIR FORCE BASES.”

A self-described nerd, Baquero-Cruz joined the Air Force to become a linguist, translating and producing time-sensitive reports in support of defense intelligence operations. After basic training, she went to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and learned her first language other than English: Serbo-Croatian, a language in high demand amid the involvement of the United States and its NATO allies in the Yugoslav wars. She was stationed in Washington, D.C. When the Balkan conflicts ended, Baquero-Cruz, eager to continue serving, learned a new language – Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia – and supported operations in sub-Saharan Africa from Washington. In 2012, she joined the 93rd Intelligence Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio, where she oversaw the language unit for the squadron commander. At the 93rd, she was responsible for the training, testing, and facilitation of between 300 and 400 linguists, making sure they were learning and remaining proficient in their assigned languages. At the end of her assignment in San Antonio, she earned the rank of master sergeant.

In 2015, the Air Force streamlined its intelligence program, reducing the number of languages it handled – and Amharic wasn’t one of them. Baquero-Cruz, who had been one of five Amharic speakers in Air Force intelligence, set out to learn a new language, Russian, because of its similarity to Serbo-Croatian. She returned to Monterey in 2015 to begin her studies, and soon learned the Russian language had plenty of its own challenges.

“When you go back to learn a language, you’re a student,” she said.

“There’s no time to do anything else. Your whole job is Russian, seven hours a day, usually with about two to three hours of homework a night. Rinse and repeat for 47 weeks. It’s no joke. And it doesn’t

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get easier the older you get.” In January 2017, Baquero-Cruz, now fluent in Russian, reported to her first OCONUS billet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

It’s ironic, Baquero-Cruz said, that in all her time studying languages for the Air Force, she never learned Spanish, her father’s native language – a fact that remains a bone of contention. He’s a naturalized citizen who emigrated from Colombia, and now, in retirement, serves as an interpreter at a children’s hospital in Omaha.

In her defense, Baquero-Cruz said there wasn’t much demand for Spanish when she was growing up, even at home, in Mississippi and Nebraska, where she spent most of her childhood: “The mentality of the early eighties, especially where I lived,” she said, “was that the more you spoke English with each other, the better off you’d be. I can understand a lot of Spanish. But I don’t speak it.”

Baquero-Cruz’s life of service was a relatively quiet one – days spent at the office, with most of the stresses of work left behind at the end of the day – until it wasn’t. Her experience is a reminder that not all wounds suffered by American warriors are suffered on the battlefield, and not all are visible to the rest of the world. BaqueroCruz continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress as a result of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“It’s important to point out that not all wounds are from combat,” she said. “Some of us went to war at home, and fought for our lives at home.” In the wake of her wounding experience, the reserved and studious Baquero-Cruz became withdrawn, anxious, and depressed.

She stayed mostly at home and socialized very little, until, realizing she needed help recovering from trauma, she checked out the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, which hosted “CARE” events offering counseling and participation in activities such as sports,

TEAM AIR FORCE

“I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW GOOD IT FELT THE FIRST TIME I WAS ON THE RECUMBENT BIKE,” SHE SAID. “I WAS FLYING! IT WAS SO GREAT. BEFORE THAT, I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU, MY SMILES WERE VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. BUT WHEN I STARTED GOING TO THE CARE EVENTS, I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO TRY; I WAS JUST SMILING BECAUSE I WAS HAVING A GOOD TIME AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT MYSELF.” art, music, mentorship, resiliency training, and recovery services, including massage and chiropractic therapy.

Baquero-Cruz, who’d been a nationally ranked competitive swimmer when younger, was immediately drawn to the adaptive sports program. “When I went to my first CARE event,” she said, “I thought the only thing I was going to be able to do physically was swimming.” She soon learned how care coordinators helped determine which events were feasible, based on a service member’s abilities and limitations. She also learned about the High Performance Program, a regimen aimed at training for the Warrior Games. “I immediately asked them to put me in that program,” she said. “I told them, ‘I want to train. I want to go to trials and try to make the Warrior Games.’ It was my last year of active duty, and I was going through a really hard time. The program gave me something to look forward to, a direction – a new mission, if you will – while using adaptive sports to recover at the same time.”

At the 2019 Games, Baquero-Cruz will compete not only in swimming but also in track racing chair, recumbent cycling, archery, and air rifle. She’s surprised even herself in choosing some of these events. “If you’d have told me I was going to be competitive in archery and air rifle, I would have laughed at you,” she said.

It was when she was talked into shooting an air rifle for the first time that Baquero-Cruz had what she called a “Eureka” moment: “With my anxiety,” she said, “ just being around loud noises or weapons, or anything that could create a startle response, was scary.” Program coordinators introduced her to the equipment slowly, explaining that they didn’t have the same noise and kick as other firearms, and demonstrating how to use the pistol and air rifle.

“I remember, after taking my first shots,” she said, “I just looked over at another warrior and smiled. I was like, ‘I love this.’ When you have anxiety or PTSD issues, it’s really hard to control your thoughts.

Your concentration is all over the place. So when they give me a target to focus on, tell me to just breathe and go through a sequence of events, it feels really, really good to have that calming moment.

That’s what archery and air rifle do for me.”

The racing events, especially the chair and the recumbent bicycle, are exhilarating for Baquero-Cruz. “I can’t tell you how good it felt the first time I was on the recumbent bike,” she said. “I was flying!

It was so great. Before that, I’ve got to tell you, my smiles were very few and far between. But when I started going to the CARE events, I didn’t even have to try; I was just smiling because I was having a good time and feeling good about myself.”

Though she knows the competition is fierce – only 14 Air Force members were selected to represent the United States at the most recent Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia – Baquero-Cruz hopes to qualify for the team that will travel to the Hague next year, and to remain a part of the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program any way she can.

In the year-and-a-half between the time she suffered trauma and her first CARE event, she said, she was going through the motions of recovery, doing things because she was ordered to and didn’t want to disobey. “Adaptive sports is a privilege,” she said. “I get to go to the range. I get to take bikes for a ride. I get to go to the track.

I want to leave the house, and I feel supported, and I don’t want to let go of that.”

In other important ways, Baquero-Cruz has moved on. After 20 years of service, she retired from the Air Force in March 2019. She’s still a nerd: She’s studying at the University of Alaska, and is on track to earn her bachelor’s degree in another year-and-a-half. She hopes for a second career as a researcher/archivist in Alaska, which she imagines she’ll call home – “It’s one of those places you don’t believe are real until you see it,” she said – and a return to a quiet, studious life.

It’s a life, however, that she hopes will always involve the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. “You’re an Airman for life,” she said. “And I’d like to become part of the Ambassador Program, traveling to other bases and telling them about the Wounded Warrior Program. I don’t think enough people know about it, and what it can do for them. I want to tell them: ‘Hey, you don’t have to struggle by yourself. There are people out there who want to help.’”

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TEAM ARMY

The Army is committed to providing our athletes a holistic approach to recovery and rehabilitation with its Warrior Care and Transition Program. The program is overseen by the U.S. Army Medical Command’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Warrior Care and Transition and executed by staff at the Army’s Warrior Transition Units.

The program is designed around six domains: spiritual, career, emotional, family, physical, and social to help wounded, ill, and injured soldiers ready themselves for a return to duty or to transition into veteran status. It is through Army Warrior Care that many recovering soldiers are introduced to adaptive sports and reconditioning activities. And for some members of Team Army, it is where their road to Warrior Games began.

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TEAM ARMY Staff Sgt. Ross Alewine U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Williamston, South Carolina Hometown: Williamston, South Carolina Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. Jonathan Alexander U.S. Army Reserve Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Swimming

Staff Sgt. Kenneth Arnold U.S. Army Reserve Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Medon, Tennessee Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Shooting

Capt. Tim Bomke U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Bainbridge Island, Washington Hometown: Redlands, California Event(s): Field, Rowing, Swimming, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis

Spc. Nakita Bowen U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Drum, New York Hometown: Syracuse, New York Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Track

Staff Sgt. Matthew Brown U.S. Army National Guard Current Location: Joint Base San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Lockport, New York Event(s): Field, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Pfc. Kyia Costanzo U.S. Army Current Location: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington Hometown: Gig Harbor, Washington Event(s): Archery, Swimming

Sgt. 1st Class Ian Crawley U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Orem, Utah Event(s): Cycling, Field, Rowing, Wheelchair Tennis

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PROUDLY SUPPORTING THE AT WARRIOR GAMES

The Warrior Games Family Program ensures loved ones can be together to cheer on their athlete.

It is not just the service member that serves—but rather the entire family.

And when there is a medical crisis the family suffers and heals—together.

It is our honor to host our resilient families as they cheer on their athletes.

We wish everyone success and thank you all for your service to this great nation.

TEAM ARMY

Capt. David Espinoza U.S. Army Current Location: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida Event(s): Cycling, Field, Swimming

Spc. Angela Euson U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Jacksonville, Florida Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Swimming, Track

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Fontenot U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Larose, Louisiana Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Track

Spc. Brent Garlic U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Atlanta, Georgia Hometown: Vineland, New Jersey Event(s): Cycling, Powerlifting, Rowing, Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. 1st Class Angel Gonzalez-Cintron U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Carson, Colorado Hometown: San German, Puerto Rico Event(s): Rowing, Swimming, Track, Sitting Volleyball

Capt. Mya Gordon U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Bliss, Texas Hometown:Duluth, Minnesota Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Swimming, Track

Spc. Austin Harwick U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Drum, New York Hometown: Maquoketa, Iowa Event(s): Rowing, Swimming, Track

Spc. Kevin Holyan U.S. Army Current Location: San Antonio, Texas Hometown: San Antonio, Texas Event(s): Archery, Field

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CENTONZIO LAW, PLLC is proud to support the 2019 Warrior Games and salutes the men and women of the armed forces participating in this event (especially Team Marine CorpsSemper Fi!). As a veteran-owned law firm who represents disabled veterans we understand and appreciate the sacrifice you have all made for our country.

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TEAM ARMY

Sgt. Cory Ivins U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Stewart, Georgia Hometown: Decatur, Georgia Event(s): Field, Rowing, Wheelchair Basketball

Spc. Stephanie Johnson U.S. Army Current Location: Arlington, Virginia Hometown: Toledo, Ohio Event(s): Cycling, Field, Track, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

Sgt. Tanner Kane U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Carson, Colorado Hometown: Newhall, California Event(s): Cycling, Golf, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

Staff Sgt. Beth King U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Deming, New Mexico Hometown: Deming, New Mexico Event(s): Cycling, Field, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Matthew Lammers U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Fairmont, North Carolina Hometown: Olathe, Kansas Event(s): Field, Rowing, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. 1st Class Jay Martin U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Belvoir, Virginia Hometown: Woodbridge, Virginia Event(s): Cycling, Field, Shooting, Track

Spc. Christopher Mask U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Stewart, Georgia Hometown: Panama City, Florida Event(s): Golf, Swimming, Track

Sgt. 1st Class Shannon McLimans U.S. Army National Guard Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Twin Falls, Idaho Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Golf, Wheelchair Tennis

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TEAM ARMY

Sgt. Gleimarie Mendoza U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Hood, Texas Hometown: Killeen, Texas Event(s): Golf, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Wheelchair Tennis

Capt. Shirley Morales U.S. Army Current Location: Schofield Barracks, Hawaii Hometown: Waianae, Hawaii Event(s): Swimming, Track

Spc. Brandon Nielsen U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Olalla, Washington Hometown: Seattle, Washington Event(s): Cycling, Field, Golf, Powerlifting, Swimming

Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Olson U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Spokane, Washington Hometown: Spokane, Washington Event(s): Archery, Field, Powerlifting, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Paul Reifke U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Belvoir, Virginia Hometown: Yuca Valley, California Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Shooting, Swimming

Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Orlando, Florida Event(s): Field, Rowing, Swimming, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. Jorge Rodriguez U.S. Army National Guard Current Location: Joint Base San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Fort Bliss, Texas Event(s): Swimming, Track

Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Rodriguez-Rexroad U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Huachuca, Arizona Hometown: Bruceton Mills, West Virginia Event(s): Cycling, Field, Swimming, Track

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Thank You To all the Military Men and Women and their Families for your service!

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TEAM ARMY

Sgt. Brent Sixkiller U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Kenwood, Oklahoma Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

Capt. Casey Turner U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. Jonathan Weasner U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: New London, Ohio Hometown: Belview, Ohio Event(s): Cycling, Field, Powerlifting, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Capt. Alex Wilson U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Alexandria, Virginia Hometown: Saugerties, New York Event(s): Archery, Field, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

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Be Inspired:

JOSHUA OLSON

BY CRAIG COLLINS

PROBABLY NOT MANY WARRIOR GAMES COMPETITORS CAN SAY THEY SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY FAR LONGER AFTER THEIR INJURY THAN BEFORE – AND NOT MANY ARE INELIGIBLE TO COMPETE IN THEIR SIGNATURE EVENT BECAUSE THEY’VE ALREADY COMPETED AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, IN THE PARALYMPIC GAMES. BOTH ARE TRUE OF JOSH OLSON. Olson grew up in Spokane, Washington, knowing he would serve in the military, and joined the Army right out of high school, in 1997, at the age of 17. He served a year in Kosovo, a year in Korea, and then in 2003, Olson, then a staff sergeant in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, deployed to Iraq. In October of that year, his company was attacked by a group of guerrilla fighters while on patrol in Tal Afar, northern Iraq. It was early in the war, before the enemy began its widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and before the Defense Department had begun deploying mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles to ground units. “We didn’t have up-armored vehicles at the time,” Olson said. “We just had cargo Humvees that were left over from the first Gulf War.” After the enemy fired a rocket-propelled grenade at Olson’s Humvee that wounded two soldiers in the back of the vehicle, Olson came out shooting, standing next to the passenger-side wheel well and firing at insurgents. A second grenade skidded under the vehicle and detonated, and the blast took off most of Olson’s right leg. In the days before military medicine had developed the junctional tourniquets that compressed the femoral artery at the hip, a quickthinking medic fitted Olson with a pair of medical anti-shock trousers (MAST) – inflatable pants that kept blood squeezed into his torso until he reached a hospital.

Olson flew to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in a medically induced coma and woke eight days later to find his mother and father in the room with him – he thought for a while that he was still in Iraq, and wondered why his parents had traveled so far to see him – and his right leg completely gone. Surgeons had performed an amputation known as a hip disarticulation, the removal of the entire lower limb and the resurfacing of the pelvic bone to bear weight while sitting or standing. Six years into his military career, it looked as if Olson’s service was over – but actually, a new Army career lay just ahead.

It was a long and difficult rehabilitation for Olson, who struggled to find a prosthesis that didn’t hurt. For some reason he was more

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comfortable shifting his weight toward the back of the socket that fit the leg to his hip, and none were designed to accommodate a person who wanted to get up and move around for longer than a few minutes. “It was mostly your elderly patients that would use those kind of prosthetics,” he said, “and they weren’t walking very much.

They were just using it as a transition from a chair to a bed, to go to the bathroom and things like that.”

Olson worked with a prosthetics company in Orlando, Florida, to devise a more flexible design, one with a socket that could be adapted and customized to fit the wearer’s preference. On a barroom cocktail napkin, he and a prosthetist sketched out a better design, with an adjustable liner that could be customized to make the leg comfortable enough to wear all day. Back at Walter Reed, doctors liked the new design – now widely known as the Olson Design – so much they began sending copies to other wounded soldiers.

About 18 months into his rehabilitation at Walter Reed, Olson met John Register, a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran and former track star from the University of Arkansas who’d lost his leg in an accident and had gone on to medal at the Paralympic Games. Register encouraged Olson to become a competitive athlete in adaptive sports. At the time, Olson had no desire to compete in any events that required him to use a wheelchair: “At the time, I was really struggling with my prosthesis and … my thinking was that for me, being in a wheelchair was a step back.”

Olson was, however, an excellent marksman. He accompanied his occupational therapists to a trap and skeet shooting range and, shooting at targets with a shotgun for the first time, hit 49 out of 50, an unheard-of first-time score. Soon he was at Fort Benning, Georgia trying out for a spot on the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), an elite group of competitive shooters established in 1956 that wins national and international shooting contests and just happened to be looking for wounded warriors to join the squad.

TEAM ARMY

“AFTER I RETIRED, I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO,” HE SAID. “AND GETTING BACK INTO ADAPTIVE SPORTS – NOT ONLY DID I GET INSPIRATION FROM THE OTHER ATHLETES I SEE EVERY DAY, BUT IT GIVES ME A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND DRIVE, AND HONESTLY, IT JUST MAKES ME FEEL A LOT BETTER.” “I went down and had a really successful tryout and got along with the team, and got picked up,” Olson said. But there was a hang-up: While he was at Fort Benning, he’d been medically retired from the Army. It took him seven months to have the decision reversed, and in June 2005, he became the first wounded service member to join the AMU. It was the first of several firsts for Olson. He was soon traveling around the world, competing at shooting events in Australia, Spain, Germany, and France. In winning gold and silver medals at an event sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee, he became the first active-duty service member to qualify for the Paralympic Games. He counts the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London among his fondest memories.

Olson’s success with the AMU was a factor in the unit’s decision, later that year, to expand and include 24 wounded warriors and members of its new Paralympic and Instructor sections – soldiers who would train other Army marksmen, compete at events, and serve as Army ambassadors at marksmanship venues worldwide.

It was a more fruitful decade than Olson had hoped for, back when the medical evaluation board had prematurely retired him – but in 2015, he sensed it was time to move on. “I never took breaks,” he said. I was just always training. I just kind of got burned out and it became work instead of fun.”

After leaving the AMU, Sgt. 1st Class Olson took a new position: Operations NCO at the Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group at Fort Meade, Maryland, where he helped coordinate and schedule training events for soldiers who would experience the kind of combat he and his company encountered in Tal Afar. In 2017, on his own terms, Olson finally ended his 20-year Army career.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until after he was done with competitive shooting that Olson became interested in other adaptive sports and began training for the Warrior Games. “After I retired, I was looking for something to do,” he said. “And getting back into adaptive sports – not only did I get inspiration from the other athletes I see every day, but it gives me a sense of purpose and drive, and honestly, it

just makes me feel a lot better.” At the 2019 Games, he’ll compete in powerlifting, archery, shot put, discus, and rowing.

Olson has since returned to Spokane, where he’s studying emergency management, and recently became engaged to be married – if all goes as planned, the wedding will happen in the fall of 2019.

When the competition season slows down, he hopes also to begin taking classes in Whitworth University’s kinesiology program. “I’d like to study exercise science,” he said, “and not only continue with adaptive sports, but train other people for it.”

In order to do that, he knew, he would have to get over his aversion to the wheelchair. He’s discovered that it’s not the impediment he once imagined; wheelchair athletics has introduced him to a difficult and complex skill set.

“I recently went to an adaptive sports camp and sat in a wheelchair for three days, playing different wheelchair sports,” he said, “and it’s really hard. My hat’s off to the athletes who can do that.”

Olson wants to master his wheelchair skills for two reasons: to be good enough to compete in Spokane’s wheelchair basketball league, and to become an adaptive sports trainer who knows what he’s talking about.

“Learning how to use the wheelchair is making me a more wellrounded athlete,” he said. “Eventually I’m hoping to work with other athletes, and if I’m going to explain anything, whether training or coaching or mentoring, I’ll want to have the credibility of someone who’s actually been there and done that.” If he’s fortunate enough to try out for next year’s games, he’s aiming for spots on the Army’s wheelchair basketball and rugby teams.

On the threshold of a new career and married life, Olson is grateful for the people who helped him rediscover a sense of purpose and competitiveness after his injury. “I got hurt six years into my Army career,” he said, “and I was very fortunate to be able to stay and finish out my last 14 or so. I’ve had great experiences and great places to work, and met a lot of great people. And with friends and family like mine, it would be really hard for someone not to be successful.”

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TEAM MARINE CORPS

The Wounded Warrior Regiment (WWR) approaches each individual Marine and sailor’s recovery as a relationship, not a process, and encourages healing in all aspects of life.

The WWR provides leadership and guidance related to the support and care of combat and non-combat wounded, ill, and injured Marines, sailors attached to Marine units, and their family members to maximize their recovery as they return to duty or transition to civilian life.

To help recovering service members (RSMs) address the various challenges of their wound, illness, or injury, the WWR focuses on four separate lines of operation: the mind, body, spirit, and family. Our RSMs are introduced to adaptive sports and reconditioning activities through the Warrior Athlete Reconditioning Program (WAR-P) – a major component of the recovery process. Through the WAR-P, Marines can choose to participate in daily activities, unit-level competitions, and large-scale events, such as the Marine Corps Trials and DOD Warrior Games.

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TEAM MARINE CORPS

Gunnery Sgt. Raymond Archer U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Hubert, North Carolina Hometown: Quincy, Illinois Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Track

Gunnery Sgt. John Ayala U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Corpus Christi, Texas Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Track

Lance Cpl. Sarah P. Balla U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Aurora, Illinois Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Track

Lance Cpl. Alec Beauseingeur-Jimenez U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Melbourne, Florida Hometown: Aurora, Colorado Event(s): Swimming, Shooting, Cycling, Track

Pfc. Isaac Blunt U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Fallbrook, California Hometown: Medford, Wisconsin Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming

Master Sgt. Donald Burns U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Middletown, California Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball

Staff Sgt. Matthew Castel U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Davenport, Iowa Event(s): Golf, Shooting, Rowing

Sgt. Thomas Conlin U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Maryland Hometown: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Event(s): Track, Cycling, Rowing

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TEAM MARINE CORPS

Lance Cpl. Tesla Dawn DeBarros U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Murrieta, California Hometown: Wilmington, Ohio Event(s): Powerlifting, Archery, Field

Cpl. Troy Frodl U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Caddo Mills, Texas Event(s): Wheelchair Tennis, Rowing, Archery, Swimming

Sgt. Allison F. Garcia U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Track

Staff Sgt. Beth Grauer U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Palm Bay, Florida Hometown: Hosington, Kansas Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Swimming

Sgt. Matthew R. Hargrove U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Emory, Texas Hometown: Emory, Texas Event(s): Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Shooting, Track

Cpl. Andrew Holliday U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Houston, Texas Hometown: Deridder, Louisiana Event(s): Track, Shooting

Lance Cpl. Annika N. Hutsler U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Aurora, Colorado Event(s): Archery, Swimming, Track

Capt. Phal It U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Hometown: Bronx, New York Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Track, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

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TEAM MARINE CORPS

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Lance Cpl. Carlos Jimenez U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Portsmouth, Virginia Hometown: Tampa, Florida Event(s): Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. Durrell M. Jones U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Ahoskie, North Carolina Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Powerlifting

Cpl. Cameron Kelly U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, North Carolina Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Event(s): Swimming, Golf, Rowing

Cpl. Tisha Knickerbocker U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Jamesville, New York Hometown: Syracuse, New York Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Powerlifting, Rowing, Wheelchair Tennis, Cycling

Maj. Dustin B. Kosar U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Bethesda, Maryland Hometown: Albany, Georgia Event(s): Powerlifting, Rowing, Swimming, Track

1st Sgt. Michael J. Landry, Jr. U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Event(s): Track, Field, Rowing, Cycling, Swimming

Sgt. Edward J. Leary U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Holden, Massachusetts Event(s): Track, Field, Swimming

Cpl. Mathew Maddux U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: WWBn-East, San Antonio, Texas Hometown: Phelan, California Event(s): Field, Archery, Shooting

TEAM MARINE CORPS

Master Gunnery Sgt. Carnell Martin U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Oceanside, California Hometown: Los Angeles, California Event(s): Track, Field, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Basketball, Tennis

Gunnery Sgt. Steven McKay U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Fallbrook, California Event(s): Swimming, Shooting, Wheelchair Rugby, Golf

Sgt. Mike Nicholson U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Tampa, Florida Event(s): Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Track

Capt. Patrick Nugent U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Bethesda, Maryland Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio Event(s): Track, Rowing, Cycling, Powerlifting

Gunnery Sgt. Patrick O’Brien U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida Event(s): Shooting, Swimming

Staff Sgt. Jason T. Pacheco U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Las Vegas, New Mexico Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Cycling, Shooting, Archery

Staff Sgt. Jose G. Panez U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Hometown: Brownfield, Texas Event(s): Shooting, Archery, Cycling, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Jason Andrew Pritchett U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Hometown: Martinsville, Virginia Event(s): Shooting, Track, Cycling, Wheelchair Rugby, Golf, Sitting Volleyball

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TEAM MARINE CORPS

Staff Sgt. Anthony Reingoud U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Lansdale, Pennsylvania Hometown: Bronx, New York Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Shooting, Field

Lance Cpl. Ian Stairwalt U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Canton, Illinois Event(s): Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

Sgt. Brandon Stevenson U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Palm Bay, Florida Hometown: Cocoa, Florida Event(s): Track, Field, Sitting Volleyball, Cycling, Rowing

Staff Sgt. James Kyle Stewart U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: McDonough, Georgia Event(s): Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Golf

Sgt. K.J. (Kyle) Stilling U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Duluth, Minnesota Hometown: Stanwood, Washington Event(s): Ultimate Champion

Lt. Col. Dianne Leigh Sumner U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Newton Grove, North Carolina Hometown: Newton Grove, North Carolina Event(s): Cycling, Track, Shooting, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Bryon Henry Wulf U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Stillwater, Minnesota Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball

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Be Inspired:

PATRICK NUGENT

BY CRAIG COLLINS

HE CAME FROM A MILITARY FAMILY – HIS GRANDFATHER A NAVAL AVIATOR, HIS FATHER A MARINE – BUT AS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, PATRICK NUGENT HADN’T FIXED A BULL’S EYE ON A MILITARY CAREER. HE WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THE MILITARY, AND HIS CHOICE FOR HIGHER LEARNING, THE CITADEL, OFFERED FLEXIBILITY. “I WENT THERE BECAUSE YOU CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN ANY OF THE FIVE BRANCHES,” HE SAID, “AND YOU CAN GO THE ENLISTED ROUTE IF YOU WANT, OR THE OFFICER ROUTE IF YOU WANT – OR AT THE END OF FOUR YEARS, IF YOU DIDN’T REALLY LIKE YOUR EXPERIENCE, YOU COULD GO THE CIVILIAN ROUTE. SO I USED THAT FIRST YEAR TO OBSERVE THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES AND HOW THEY OPERATED. AND THE MARINE CORPS WAS THE BRANCH OF SERVICE I THOUGHT BEST FIT MY PERSONALITY AND WHAT I WANTED TO DO.” Once he’d made his choice, Nugent threw himself into his studies and preparation for a career as a Marine Officer. It was a distinguished beginning: He graduated in 2013 as the Cadet Regimental Commander, the senior cadet who led the entire Corps of Cadets.

From the Citadel, Nugent went to The Basic School for all newly commissioned and appointed Marine Corps Officers, and then on to the grueling Infantry Officer School, from which he emerged an infantry officer and served as a rifle platoon commander in 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5), Company C. His first deployment, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), took him to Japan and Southeast Asia from 2015 through 2016. He was selected to ser ve as Company C’s executive officer – its second-in-command, overseeing the day-to-day activities of more than 160 other Marines – and later deployed with the 1/5 as part of the 15th MEU, the Marine Air- Ground Task Force within the three -ship USS America Amphibious Ready Group.

Nugent was thriving as a Marine, and looked forward to enrolling in the Assessment and Selection (A&S) course as a candidate for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) the following spring. “I had other plans in the service,” he said, “but obviously a bullet kind of derailed those plans.” Five days into the group’s first overseas deployment, when his unit stopped in Hawaii for training on its way to the Western Pacific, Nugent suffered a setback that threatened to end not only his career, but also his life.

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A Different Trajectory During a nighttime live-fire exercise at Pohakuloa Training Area on the big island of Hawaii, Nugent, the range officer in charge, was standing downrange and off to the side when a 5.56mm M16 round ricocheted off a pile of rocks and entered his lower back, just below his flak jacket.

“When the bullet hit my pelvis, it shattered it and deflected down to the right, through my abdomen, where it caused a bunch of internal injuries,” recalled Nugent, “and then it lodged in my right hip and severed the right sciatic nerve at the very top, almost near my spinal column.” As soon as he was struck, both his legs went completely numb and he fell forward, unable to move from the waist down. A pair of corpsmen tended to him and he was quickly airlifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors feared he wouldn’t survive his abdominal injuries – and if he did, they predicted he would never walk again.

He underwent several surgeries in Hawaii, aimed at saving his life and repairing damage to his pelvis and internal organs, but the wound, which perforated Nugent’s bowel, caused persistent infections. “Everything,” he said, “went everywhere.” He was fitted with a colostomy bag and sent to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he underwent a series of surgeries aimed at repairing nerve damage.

Once it became clear that Nugent would survive, the loss of the sciatic nerve presented his most consequential challenge. The

TEAM MARINE CORPS In February 2018, a year after his injury, Nugent flew to Hawaii and met with the Marines of Company C. He stood upright and shook their hands.

An Athlete Restored

longest and thickest single nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve connects the nervous system to the skin over the entire leg and foot, the muscles of the back of the thigh (hamstrings), and those of the calf and foot. His first surgery was aimed at reconnecting the sciatic nerve. “Nobody really knew how bad an injury it was until I got to Walter Reed,” he said. “They opened me up and then closed me up pretty quickly, because they saw how high up it was, that it was completely severed, and that it would have been more dangerous to try to do something then.” Subsequent surgeries were attempts at nerve transfer, which might restore some feeling to the bottom of his foot and the ability to push his foot down or lift it up.

These procedures haven’t yet scored Nugent any successes, but he’s focused on the positive: He underwent a successful ostomy reversal, which his closed his bowel off to the outside world, and he’s been fitted with a brace that allows him to walk despite complete paralysis from the knee down, with significant atrophy of his calf muscles and no use of his hamstrings. Developed for wounded warriors at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, the IDEO brace (now available in the private sector under the name ExoSym) is an advanced kinetic orthosis that enables people with severe lower limb injury not only to walk, but also to engage in high-impact activities such as running, jumping, and even skydiving.

For six to eight months after his injury, Nugent was all but immobilized, confined to a wheelchair, using an ostomy pouch, and being fed a steady stream of antibiotics through an intravenous catheter in his arm that prevented him from lifting anything heavier than 5 pounds, which meant he couldn’t even use his arms to wheel himself around.

During that time he had one goal in mind: reuniting with the Marines he’d left behind in Hawaii, who earlier had been told he probably wouldn’t survive. His successful reversal surgery made the reunion seem possible. “My biggest accomplishment was having to not rely on a walker or a cane to get around,” he said. “I actually kind of forced myself to do it because it was getting close to the time I was scheduled to fly to Hawaii to meet my Marines on the trip back from their deployment.”

Nugent was a three-sport athlete (football, hockey, and lacrosse) at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, and went on to become an outside linebacker for The Citadel’s football team. It was humbling, he said, to find himself unable to get to the bathroom without help.

“I’ve lost a lot of weight,” he said. “When you see me at the games, you’ll think I look more like a cornerback.”

A return to competitive sports was the furthest thing from Nugent’s mind for more than a year after his injury, but adaptive sports became part of his daily routine as he worked toward convincing a Medical Evaluation Board to approve him for another tour of limited duty in his new MOS: Recovering Service Member, Wounded Warrior Battalion-East, Bethesda, stationed at Walter Reed. “I was doing everything up to that point,” said Nugent, “going to physical therapy four to five days a week, doing adaptive sports on my own, rowing, trying to get myself strong enough in the lower and upper body to be able to earn a physical fitness pass or combat fitness pass and be able to do the stuff that’s expected of me.”

It was during these therapy and training sessions that Nugent caught the eye of Rachel Jordan, the Warrior Athlete Reconditioning Program Manager for the Marines at Walter Reed, who urged him to sign up for the upcoming Marine Corps Trials at Camp Pendleton.

Nugent signed up for rowing, track, cycling, and powerlifting. “It’s just the bench press, which is one of my strengths,” he said, “and since I’ve lost more than 30 pounds since my injury, I can compete in the lightweight class.”

The IDEO brace Nugent wears for competition is further customized to help him flex his knee for running: It’s fitted with bungee cords that act as hamstrings and help pull his foot backward. He works these artificial hamstrings hard: “I can only use them for three to four training sessions,” he said, “before they fray and break. I replace them at least once a week.”

When Nugent went to Camp Pendleton to train with other Marines, he said, he could barely keep up with the other runners on their 800-meter warm-up jog. “I was about 100 meters behind them,” he said, “and that was just their warm-up pace.” By the time of the competition, he was good enough to earn a silver medal in the 800 meters, and he won gold medals in both the indoor rowing, and powerlifting events. At the DOD Warrior Games in Tampa, he plans to compete in all four events again: track, cycling, indoor rowing and powerlifting. He’s hoping to do well enough to qualify for the Invictus Games, now scheduled for 2020 in the Netherlands.

As for his future plans, Nugent is weighing them with the same flexibility and optimism he used to map out a military career that ended earlier than he’d have hoped. He’s applying to graduate business schools at several universities, including Stanford, Harvard, Georgetown, Pennsylvania, and Northwestern – the best business schools in the country, in other words. But don’t bet against him.

Expect to see him on one of these campuses in the fall of 2020.

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TEAM NAVY

The Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor (NWW) organization provides individually-tailored assistance designed to optimize the success of wounded warriors’ recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration activities. NWW is solely responsible for coordinating the non-medical care of seriously wounded, ill, and injured sailors and Coast Guardsmen, including introducing service members to adaptive sports as well as providing resources and support to their families and caregivers. Through proactive leadership, NWW is the gold standard of comprehensive care it provides each and every enrolled sailor and Coast Guardsman, as well as caregivers and loved ones.

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TEAM NAVY

Petty Officer 3rd Class Samuel Acheampong U.S. Navy Current Location: Oceanside, California Hometown: Dallas, Texas Event(s): Golf, Wheelchair Basketball

Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Cable U.S. Navy Current Location: Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Hometown: Orlando, Florida Event(s): Archery, Golf, Wheelchair Tennis

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jai Cheon U.S. Navy Current Location: San Jose, California Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Event(s): Shooting, Archery, Rowing, Cycling, Track

Petty Officer 2nd Class Daniel Clarke U.S. Navy Current Location: Wahiawa, Hawaii Hometown: Tucson, Arizona Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Shooting, Archery, Powerlifting

Petty Officer 3rd Class Austin Cooper U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Argyle, Texas Hometown: Douglas, Wyoming Event(s): Track, Cycling, Swimming, Shooting

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Cox U.S. Coast Guard Current Location: Columbia, South Carolina Hometown: Miami, Florida Event(s): Powerlifting, Archery, Cycling, Track, Field

Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad U.S. Navy Current Location: Pensacola, Florida Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada Event(s): Field, Cycling, Rowing

Seaman Steve Davis U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Salida, California Hometown: Hayward, California Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball

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TEAM NAVY

Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Dieli U.S. Navy Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: San Diego, California Event(s): Rowing, Swimming

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jude Dziadowicz U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Norfolk, Virginia Hometown: Hobart, Indiana Event(s): Powerlifting, Rowing, Field, Shooting

Chief Petty Officer Joshua Erickson U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Brownsville, Oregon Hometown: Ruidoso, New Mexico Event(s): Cycling, Archery

Chief Petty Officer Ferlin Espinal U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii Event(s): Field, Rowing, Powerlifting, Track

Chief Petty Officer Angela Everett U.S. Navy Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Event(s): Powerlifting, Track, Field, Rowing, Cycling

Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Ferguson U.S. Navy Current Location: Richlands, North Carolina Hometown: Mansfield, Ohio Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Golf

Petty Officer 1st Class Ruth Freeman U.S. Navy Current Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia Hometown: Durham, North Carolina Event(s): Sitting Volleyball, Rowing, Cycling, Shooting

Cmdr. Robert Fry U.S. Navy Current Location: Crestview, Florida Hometown: New Smyrna, Florida Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Track

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TEAM NAVY

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2019 Warrior Games

Seaman Gabriel George U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Jacksonville, Florida Hometown: Houston, Texas Event(s): Archery, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Rowing

Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Gonzales U.S. Navy Current Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia Hometown: San Juan Bautista, California Event(s): Rowing, Swimming, Track, Cycling, Shooting

Petty Officer 2nd Class Emmanuel Gonzalez U.S. Navy Current Location: Rialto, California Hometown: Rialto, California Event(s): Archery, Rowing, Wheelchair Rugby

Master Chief Petty Officer Raina Hockenberry U.S. Navy Current Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Hometown: Kalihi, Hawaii Event(s): Cycling, Field, Swimming

Petty Officer 3rd Class Dakota Hollingsworth U.S. Navy Current Location: Portsmouth, Virginia Hometown: Gladstone, Oregon Event(s): Swimming, Field, Shooting, Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Petty Officer 2nd Class Mario Ingram U.S. Navy Current Location: Jacksonville, Florida Hometown: Aliceville, Alabama Event(s): Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

Petty Officer 2nd Class Darius (DJ) Jones U.S. Navy Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Cycling

Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Laban Current Location: Menifee, California Hometown: Malifa, Samoa Event(s): Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Tennis, Field

TEAM NAVY

Lt. Daniel Lee U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Current Location: Palm Harbor, Florida Hometown: Pago Pago, American Samoa Event(s): Cycling, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Track

Senior Chief Petty Officer William Longworth U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Poulsbo, Washington Hometown: Auberry, California Event(s): Shooting, Archery, Field, Cycling, Wheelchair Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball

Chief Petty Officer Sammy Palomo U.S. Navy Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: East Los Angeles, California Event(s): Cycling, Track

Petty Officer 1st Class Austin Parker U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Hanford, California Hometown: Hanford, California Event(s): Cycling, Track, Field, Swimming, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball

Chief Petty Officer Matthew Parker U.S. Navy Current Location: Hampton, Virginia Hometown: Rockville, Indiana Event(s): Wheelchair Tennis, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Senior Chief Petty Officer Joseph Paterniti U.S. Navy Current Location: Everett, Washington Hometown: Bothell, Washington Event(s): Powerlifting, Rowing, Track, Field, Cycling

Petty Officer 1st Class Todd Prather U.S. Navy Current Location: Oak Harbor, Washington Hometown: Hopedale, Illinois Event(s): Swimming, Cycling, Shooting, Indoor Rowing

Lt. Jay Roberts U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Auburn, New York Hometown: Auburn, New York Event(s): Track, Field, Swimming, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby

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TEAM NAVY

Capt. Daryl Schaffer U.S. Coast Guard Current Location: Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. Hometown: Willmar, Minnesota Event(s): Track, Cycling, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Petty Officer 1st Class Tyson Schmidt U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Universal City, Texas Hometown: San Antonio, Texas Event(s): Golf, Field, Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Petty Officer 3rd Class Elizabeth Smith U.S. Navy Current Location: Aurora, Colorado Hometown: Aurora, Colorado Event(s): Shooting, Swimming, Field

Petty Officer 2nd Class Esther Stevenson U.S. Navy Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Oak Harbor, Washington Event(s): Track, Field, Shooting, Swimming, Cycling

Petty Officer 1st Class Romulo Urtula U.S. Navy Current Location: Havelock, North Carolina Hometown: Mountlake Terrace, Washington Event(s): Archery, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos Valerio U.S. Navy Current Location: Emmitsburg, Maryland Hometown: El Paso, Texas Event(s): Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Cycling, Track

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Be Inspired:

JOE PATERNITI

BY CRAIG COLLINS

WHEN HE GRADUATED FROM BOTHELL HIGH SCHOOL, JUST OUTSIDE SEATTLE, IN 1983, JOE PATERNITI WANTED TO GO TO COLLEGE. HIS FAMILY IS LOADED WITH MARINES AND SAILORS – HIS GRANDFATHER, A NAVY PILOT, FLEW GRUMMAN HELLCATS OFF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN WORLD WAR II – AND HE SAW THE MILITARY AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AND GET SOME ASSISTANCE WITH HIS EDUCATION. “I actually went to a Marine Corps recruiter first,” he said, “because I had so much respect for the Marines. But the recruiter actually listened to me and understood that I had a lot of interest in the medical field, and he took me down the hallway to the Navy recruiter and said, ‘Hey, this guy wants to be a doc.’ I felt betrayed at first, but then he explained to me that the Marines don’t have their own medical staff; that’s what Navy corpsmen were for. I was flabbergasted. I never knew that.”

Paterniti trained with Marines at Camp Pendleton, became a corpsman, and entered the Naval Reserves. He’s balanced a career as a paramedic fireman – now with the Fire Department in Everett, Washington – with five active-duty deployments that have taken him to Honduras, Korea, Turkey, and Iraq. He’s now a Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman, Fleet Marine Forces (FMF).

“What I really loved about being a corpsman,” Paterniti said, “was the pride in taking care of my guys, and knowing they were mine, and nobody could mess with them unless they went through me.

I was the one that they would come to if they were hurt or sick. I really enjoyed that. I also got to experience what it’s like to be with a combat unit. Being with the Marine Corps infantry unit in Iraq was very dangerous and scary, and painful at times, and at the same time I really pride myself on being a hospital corpsman with a specialty in Marine field medicine.”

After his deployment to Iraq, which began soon after the initial invasion in 2003, Paterniti said, “I came back for the most part in one piece.” He’d suffered several concussions, and significant hearing loss, from exposure to blasts and gunfire, and he also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which went undiagnosed for a while: He wanted to keep serving, and he didn’t think he had it any worse than anyone else, so he kept quiet and downplayed his ailments. As a Corpsman, he knew how to answer diagnostic questions in a way that would keep him from being red-flagged.

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“But the thing about PTSD,” he said, “is eventually your behavior starts to reveal things, and the people who care about you start realizing that even though you may still be able to do your job, you’re not acting like yourself. You have trouble remembering things.”

Paterniti was married and divorced twice after returning from Iraq, and his mental health contributed to the failure of both relationships.

“I was able to suck it up and go to work and manage to put a good face forward,” he said. “I always put duty first. It was always Honor, Courage, Commitment. But until I started seeking help for some of my mental health issues, with PTSD, things weren’t getting better.”

It wasn’t until his most recent return to active duty, in 2013, that Paterniti even understood the kind of help available to him. When a position as a nonmedical care manager with the Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor program became available in the area, he applied, though he’d never heard of it. The program managers liked his background and his attitude, and brought him aboard.

“I didn’t know anything about this wounded warrior stuff,” he said.

“I’d heard about the Wounded Warrior Project, but I didn’t know that each military service branch had their own wounded warrior program, where they take care of a lot of the nonmedical issues for people with serious illnesses and injuries.” Paterniti served as a kind of concierge for ill or wounded warriors, helping them with their nonmedical issues – finding temporary lodgings for cancer patients, for example, who’d just been sent to the Seattle area from Hawaii, and whose material possessions hadn’t arrived yet. “Some of it was crazy, catastrophic stuff, things our commands aren’t always equipped to help with.”

Paterniti managed cases all over the Pacific Northwest – and it was through this service, helping all these ill and wounded warriors solve their problems, that he realized he wasn’t doing a great job of solving his own. “I’m really good at helping others,” he said, “but I’m not very good at helping myself sometimes. I was fortunate because

TEAM NAVY

“I’VE MADE SOME AMAZING FRIENDSHIPS WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR THINGS,” HE SAID, “AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOME AMAZING STORIES. I’VE LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM AND SOME OF THE HARDSHIPS THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH. FOR ME, IT’S BEEN VERY THERAPEUTIC. AND I FEEL REALLY BLESSED TO BE PART OF IT.” one of the people I ended up training to do my job, he and my boss pretty much cornered me one day and said, ‘Hey, we’ve noticed these things and we really think you ought to get some help.’ I did.

I was really scared, because I didn’t want to end up flagged to be med-boarded out of the Navy. I’ve had to go through several medical reviews to be able to do that, because part of the process is doing the work to try and stay healthy. And it’s tough work.”

During his last active-duty rotation, Paterniti went through several sets of orders that lasted into 2016. After completing his service, he became an enrollee in the Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor program. As a former high school athlete in football, wrestling, and track, he was immediately drawn to the adaptive sports program. “I was really kind of hesitant to be a part of it at first,” he said, “because I didn’t feel like I was messed up enough. I wasn’t missing a leg. I wasn’t missing an arm. I wasn’t in a wheelchair. But because of Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor and the adaptive sports program, I’ve met so many others that it’s kind of washed the guilt away and made me realize that yeah, it’s okay. TBI and PTSD, and even hearing loss, are all things that are pretty invisible – but they’re real.”

The Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor program and adaptive sports have benefited Paterniti in several ways. “I used to be really physically active and athletic,” he said, “And when I became overcome by some of my ailments, I became depressed and less active. But through this program I’ve learned some new skills, and I’ve relearned some old skills, and it’s given me back some confidence. It’s gotten me more socially active – because I was not. I would pretty much go in and work and I’d go home to seek refuge. And this has really helped me get back to interacting with people.” He hasn’t missed a workout in months. At the 2019 Warrior

Games, Paterniti will compete in cycling, powerlifting, rowing, shot put, and discus.

Because he’s a senior chief and a veteran of last year’s Warrior Games, Paterniti has also enjoyed becoming a leader, mentoring and coaching other athletes. “It’s another form of healing,” he said, “getting to help others who have needs like yours.” The Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor program’s other activities, beyond adaptive sports, have helped him with his nonmedical affairs, helping him with procedural and administrative issues both within and outside the Navy. “It’s been a tremendous help,” he said, “and it’s enabled me to concentrate on the things I need to do to be well.”

He’s back on reserve status now, working for the Everett Fire Department, a job that has its own stresses, Paterniti said. “It’s similar in some ways to the military,” he said, “but it’s also different: I’m not usually working on my own guys, and I’m not on six to seven months of continuous service and suffering from insomnia. There’s some danger, but it’s not constant.”

Paterniti knows some of the difficulties he faces now are things many people face after choosing a life of service. “For me, it’s been a huge source of family,” he said. “And really what I’ve learned, throughout the years, is that I’m built to belong to a team. It’s really a huge need of mine.” He’s proud of his service with the Navy and the Marines, and grateful for finding a place to belong in the Navy Wounded Warrior – Safe Harbor program and the Warrior Games.

“I’ve made some amazing friendships with people who have experienced similar things,” he said, “and other people who have some amazing stories. I’ve learned a lot from them and some of the hardships they’ve been through. For me, it’s been very therapeutic.

And I feel really blessed to be part of it.”

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TEAM SOCOM

The U.S. Special Operations Command Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition) provides a comprehensive, tailored approach to the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, ill and injured Special Operations Forces (SOF). In keeping with the first SOF truth, “humans are more important than hardware,” the primary objective is retention and reintegration of SOF back into their units, with the ability to conduct a smooth transition into veteran status when necessary. Incorporation of adaptive sports provides peer-to-peer mentorship and a healthy, sustainable lifestyle that accelerates the individual’s physical and mental recovery. In keeping with their competitive nature, SOF also partake in unitlevel competitions, adaptive sports camps, the DOD Warrior Games, and other national and international events.

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TEAM SOCOM

Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Anthony U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma Hometown: Choctaw, Oklahoma Event(s): Archery, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Track, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. 1st Class Lance Borman U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Raeford, North Carolina Hometown: Hiawatha, Kansas Event(s): Cycling

Lt. Col. John Brennan U.S. Army Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Event(s): Cycling, Wheelchair Rugby

Spc. Steve Carmen U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Temecula, California Hometown: San Diego, California Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball

1st Sgt. Jarrid Collins U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Land O’ Lakes, Florida Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina Event(s): Cycling, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Staff Sgt. Jimmy Covas U.S. Army Current Location: Raeford, North Carolina Hometown: Hope Mills, North Carolina Event(s): Cycling, Shooting

Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro U.S. Air Force Current Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Hometown: New Lenox, Illinois Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Rowing

Staff Sgt. Stuart DiPaolo U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Camp Pendleton, California Hometown: Gray, Maine Event(s): Archery, Field, Golf, Shooting

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TEAM SOCOM

Master Sgt. Christopher Donaldson U.S. Army Current Location: Cameron, North Carolina Hometown: Fort Madison, Iowa Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Shooting

Staff Sgt. Travis Dunn U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Savannah, Georgia Hometown: Rio Rancho, New Mexico Event(s): Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Chief Petty Officer Nolan Ellis U.S. Navy Current Location: Pensacola, Florida Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming

Chief Petty Officer Phillip Fong U.S. Navy Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Stafford, Texas Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Rowing, Wheelchair Rugby

Maj. Lee Harvey U.S. Army National Guard Current Location: El Paso, Texas Hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico Event(s): Powerlifting, Rowing, Track, Wheelchair Basketball

Staff Sgt. Zachary Hildebrand U.S. Air Force Current Location: Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado Hometown: Eugene, Oregon Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Powerlifting, Rowing

Lt. Col. David Hodges U.S. Army Current Location: Canberra, Australia Hometown: Bath, Maine Event(s): Track, Cycling, Golf

Capt. Brian Hotchkiss U.S. Army Current Location: Golden, Colorado Hometown: Mora, Minnesota Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Swimming

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WARRIOR GAMES

Good luck to all the athletes competing from around the world!

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Good luck athletes and thank you for your service!

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TEAM SOCOM

Gunnery Sgt. Tiffany Hudgins U.S. Marine Corps Current Location: Apollo Beach, Florida Hometown: Spokane, Washington Event(s): Track, Rowing, Archery, Powerlifting,

Sgt. 1st Class Brant Ireland U.S. Army Current Location: Willow Spring, North Carolina Hometown: Columbus, Ohio Event(s): Cycling, Track, Field, Rowing, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Lt. Col. Rhonda Keister U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Grass Valley, California Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Field, Shooting, Swimming

Master Sgt. Alfred Martinez U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Pasadena, Texas Event(s): Golf, Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Staff Sgt. Lauren Montoya U.S. Army Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Austin, Texas Event(s): Track, Field, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. 1st Class Douglas Norman U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Bragg, North Carolina Hometown: Casper, Wyoming Event(s): Cycling, Golf, Track, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

Petty Officer 1st Class Victoria Oldani U.S. Navy Current Location: Little Creek, Virginia Hometown: Springfield, Illinois Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Rowing, Swimming

Lt. Col. David O’Hearn U.S. Army Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma Event(s): Cycling, Rowing

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TEAM SOCOM

Cmdr. Clay Pendergrass U.S. Navy Current Location: Tampa, Florida Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana Event(s): Archery, Swimming

Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Gilbert, Arizona Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona Event(s): Archery, Rowing

Master Sgt. Joe Roberts U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Fayetteville, North Carolina Hometown: King City, California Event(s): Swimming, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

Capt. Alec Ross U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Farmington, New Mexico Event(s): Archery, Golf, Powerlifting, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

Staff Sgt. Russell Ruth U.S. Army Current Location: Savannah, Georgia Hometown: Pensacola, Florida Event(s): Track, Field

Chief Petty Officer Terry Scaife U.S. Navy Current Location: Coronado, California Hometown: Allen, Texas Event(s): Archery

Petty Officer 1st Class Rommel Siervo U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Currituck, North Carolina Hometown: Currituck, North Carolina Event(s): Track, Field, Archery, Sitting Volleyball

Lt. Isaiah Staley U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: Huntsville, Alabama Hometown: Kohala, Hawaii Event(s): Archery, Field, Golf, Powerlifting, Shooting, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

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GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD BLESS ALL OF THE WARRIORS WHO SERVE THIS GREAT NATION.

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TEAM SOCOM

Staff Sgt. John Stanz U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Hamburg, New York Hometown: Hamburg, New York Event(s): Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Golf, Shooting

Sgt. 1st Class Chase Tanton U.S. Army Veteran Current Location: Provo, Utah Hometown: Event(s): Archery, Field, Golf, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Master Sgt. Henry Taylor U.S. Army Current Location: Destin, Florida Hometown: Columbus, Georgia Event(s): Rowing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Toboz U.S. Navy Veteran Current Location: San Diego, California Hometown: Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Event(s): Shooting, Cycling, Track

Gunnery Sgt. Leticia Vega U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Current Location: Irving, Texas Hometown: Irving, Texas Event(s): Field, Shooting, Swimming

Master Sgt. George Vera U.S. Army Current Location: Land O’ Lakes, Florida Hometown: Swansboro, North Carolina Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Track, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Staff Sgt. Mario Webb U.S. Air Force Current Location: Hurlburt Field, Florida Hometown: Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Event(s): Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Maj. Adam Ziegler U.S. Army Current Location: Fort Campbell, Kentucky Hometown: Keokuk, Iowa Event(s): Cycling, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

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Be Inspired:

CLAY PENDERGRASS

BY CRAIG COLLINS

HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER AS A NAVY SEAL BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLAY PENDERGRASS – TEAM SOCOM’S CAPTAIN FOR THE 2019 WARRIOR GAMES – GRADUATED FROM C.E. BYRD HIGH SCHOOL IN SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, IN 1989. HE ENLISTED IN THE NAVY AND GRADUATED FROM BASIC UNDERWATER DEMOLITION/SEAL TRAINING IN 1990, AND IN HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT, WITH SEAL TEAM 3, HE COMPLETED TWO DEPLOYMENTS IN AND AROUND THE PERSIAN GULF. His service earned him selection for an ROTC scholarship, and Pendergrass reported to the University of San Diego in 1995, graduated three years later with a degree in foreign affairs, and was commissioned an ensign in 1998. Ensign Pendergrass reported to SEAL Team 2, where he deployed as liaison officer for the Marine Amphibious Ready Group (MARG) and the assistant officer in charge of platoons for the European Command. His next assignment was at Naval Special Warfare Unit 2 as the Future Operations and Maritime Craft Air Delivery System (MCADS) officer.

After his service with SEAL Team 2, Pendergrass reported to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, where he learned French, and then completed his tour as platoon officer in charge, SEAL Team 1, with a deployment to Iraq that ended in 2008. His next assignment, with SEAL Team 17, saw him completing tours as the operations and executive officer from August 2008 to May 2012.

Pendergrass then deployed to Afghanistan as the current operations officer for the Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan (SOJTF-A) that was formed in the summer of 2012 and became fully operational in July 2013. After completing this assignment, he reported to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) headquarters in Tampa to serve as director of operations for the J3-AFG – the general staff for Joint Operations in Afghanistan.

“I’ve deployed to both coasts, on multiple teams, and deployed overseas a number of times,” Pendergrass said. “In fact, I’ve deployed to every theater – to CENTCOM, EUCOM, PACOM, SOUTHCOM, and AFRICOM. So I guess I’m a jack of all trades, master of none.”

Before you’re tempted to believe Pendergrass mastered no trades as a special operations warrior, consider that his personal decorations have included the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze star (with valor), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.

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A new phase of his career began in 2012, when Pendergrass, now holding the rank of commander, took command of the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, northeast of New Orleans.

According to Pendergrass, the school, which has evolved from a Coast Guard command established in the Panama Canal Zone in 1961, probably needs a new name. “A better way to understand it,” he said, “is to think of it as our Special Operations International Training Command. It’s the only command in the Department of Defense that is 100 percent focused on training our partners.”

NAVSCIATTS instructors include SEALs, Navy civil engineers, and Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen.

In his current assignment, which he undertook in 2017, Pendergrass works from SOCOM headquarters in Tampa to achieve the broader goal of Security Force Assistance – organizing, training, equipping, evaluating, and advising partner-nation military forces.

The logistics of setting up and delivering training can be difficult in overseas theaters, such as in Africa, he said: “It’s often very complex and very time-consuming, and adds more burden on the force. So I was brought in to look at a different way to include CONUS – continental United States – locations to train partners, as opposed to us always deploying forward and do training in austere environments, often without ideal platforms.”

Nobody understands more acutely than Pendergrass why it’s so important for partner nations to share the burden of special operations. Life as a SEAL has taken a toll on his body, from the time he injured his knee during training to last year’s spinal infection, which put him in the hospital for more than three months. In his 30 years of service, he’s undergone 24 surgical procedures. “Five in the left shoulder,” he recounted. “Three knee surgeries. Three elbows.

Four on the back, two on my neck, three on my face. I’m probably

TEAM SOCOM

forgetting some.” In March 2008, when he was in the desert northeast of Ramadi, Iraq, a suicide bomber blew Pendergrass into the side of a Humvee. Two surgeries followed: the insertion of an artificial disc, in 2009, and a spinal fusion of the 6th and 7th vertebrae in 2010.

That was rough, Pendergrass said – but training can be just as rough on the body. His initial knee and shoulder injuries happened during workups. “There is just a ton of wear and tear on the body,” he said, “and it’s not just SOF. I’ll pick up for any infantryman or -woman, Marine or Army: Anybody who has been ground-pounding for 20 years, I guarantee they’ve got bad back and bad knees. It’s just part of the gig.”

The wound that ultimately led Pendergrass to SOCOM’s Care Coalition and adaptive sports occurred last year in the hospital, where he underwent another spinal fusion operation to address 12 years of back issues. After the procedure, a spinal infection caused nerve damage in both legs. He can’t move his right foot very well, and will probably never run normally again – but is eager to point out that plenty of people are a lot worse off than he is. “I want to be clear,” he said. “I’m not complaining. No one made me do it. I volunteered.

I’m not upset about it. It’s part of life, certainly part of a life that I’ve chosen. So if anybody’s to blame, it’s me.”

In working with the Care Coalition and learning adaptive sports, Pendergrass has made several discoveries: Though the Warrior Games are competitive – “the inside joke here,” he said, “is that everything in SOF is a competition” – adaptive sports, for him, are about rediscovery. Now 47 years old, with a wife and three sons waiting for him at home, Pendergrass is learning ways to thrive despite his new reality. “Training for the Warrior Games,” he said, “is an amazing way for us to reconnect with our families and society, and to find mechanisms for healing.”

Pendergrass just recently discovered, for example, that despite his injuries, he can ride a bicycle, and his first thought was that it was an activity he could do with his boys, now aged nine, eleven and fourteen. “Going out for a run or throwing or kicking the ball around,” he said, “is a bonding thing, a very powerful one. I’ve had

aspirations of being a good dad, and that’s involved discovering activities I can do with them. What I thought I was going to be able to do 10 years ago, I just can’t, because of age and injuries and wear and tear.” Military adaptive sports has been a mechanism, he said, for awakening a new sense of possibility. “A lot of people don’t see that these people playing wheelchair basketball, or swimming – it’s life-changing. It brings you back to remind you of who you are.”

Pendergrass trains not only to find things to do with his boys, but also to give himself goals to work toward and milestones to pass.

“When people don’t have that, that’s when you see them get really depressed,” he said. “It’s not just the injury itself. It’s being unable to adapt to the injury, to be the person you still want to be. And that’s where things like the Warrior Games are critical. The injury itself, or multiple injuries over time, are difficult. What’s more difficult, in my opinion, is finding you again through those injuries.”

He’s a relative newcomer to adaptive sports – he was able just a few months ago to walk without a cane – so Pendergrass didn’t discover cycling in time to try out for this year’s games. He’ll be competing in swimming and archery. He’s not exactly sure why he was selected to be SOCOM Team Captain, but if he had to guess, Pendergrass would say it’s because his interactions with the Care Coalition and other warriors have made him an outspoken advocate for restoring not only physical but neurological and even spiritual health to warriors who, like him, were deployed for years without taking time to restore themselves.

Being constantly wired for battle, Pendergrass said, takes its own toll on the body’s sympathetic nervous system – its “fight or flight” response – to a point where it becomes difficult to slow down and interact normally with the world. “Over time we become unhealthy, I think,” he said, “in the sense that we’re always over on the sympathetic side. And we need to maybe rethink our approach to recovery, to become better at parasympathetic things, with activities like meditation, art, yoga, music. When you just keep training, you keep deploying, you stay in fight-or-flight mode and then your body can’t heal, because the body doesn’t heal when it’s over in the sympathetic state.”

Like many 2019 competitors, Pendergrass is interested in seeing if he might qualify for next year’s Invictus Games – but mostly as a means for him to push himself to improve his own performance. Right now, he’s simply thrilled to be a part of Team SOCOM. “What I love about this team,” he said, “is that they look like a bunch of warriors, every one of them. Every single person on our team has deployed for SOF in a combat zone. I look at them and think, ‘Man, this is a crew you don’t want to meet in a dark alley.’ I love it. But when you talk to them, everybody is so positive and giving and wanting to help each other. Emotionally, it’s really been a great thing to be a part of.”

He’s also aware that events such as the Warrior Games and competitive athletics depend to a large extent on public support.

“Americans are the greatest people on the planet,” he said. “They give, give, and give. Supporting things like adaptive sports is huge.

My message to the public would be that whatever it is you love to do – golf, archery, fishing, biking – whatever it is, if that’s something you’re really passionate about, find an event or organization that will help you share that with veterans. Those are the kinds of things that help pull people back into their communities once they retire from active duty and need to find new things to do.”

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TEAM UK

Help for Heroes supports service members and veterans with injuries and illnesses attributable to their service in the British Armed Forces. No matter when someone served, we believe that those prepared to put their lives second deserve a second chance at life.

Through recovery services such as Sports Recovery, Grants, Mental Health, Fellowship, and Career Recovery, Help for Heroes aims to empower athletes to look beyond illness and injury, regain their purpose, reach their potential, and have a positive impact on society. Our vast network of professionals and partners not only help serving members of the Armed Forces, but also former service members and their families.

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Pvt. Andy Allen British Army Veteran Home County: Belfast Event(s): Rowing, Powerlifting, Archery, Field, Sitting Volleyball

Junior Technician David Anderson Royal Air Force Veteran Home County: Belfast Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby, Rowing

Cpl. Caroline Buckle British Army Veteran Home County: South Yorkshire Event(s): Powerlifting, Field, Cycling, Swimming

Petty Officer (Steward) Gordon Clark Royal Navy Veteran Home County: Cornwall Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Cycling, Rowing, Wheelchair Basketball, Field, Sitting Volleyball

Lance Cpl. Simon Flores British Army Veteran Home County: Lancashire Event(s): Powerlifting, Field, Wheelchair Basketball

Flight Sgt. Paul Hartley Royal Air Force Veteran Home County: Cambridgeshire Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Cycling, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Bombardier Cpl. Alan Izzard British Army Veteran Home County: Cheshire Event(s): Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Golf, Shooting

Senior Aircraftwoman Lynsey Kelly Royal Air Force Veteran Home County: Oxfordshire Event(s): Archery, Swimming, Shooting, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

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Sgt. Gemma Kemble-Stephenson British Army Home County: Gwent Event(s): Cycling, Powerlifting, Swimming, Rowing

Sgt. Alex Knox British Army Veteran Home County: Wiltshire Event(s): Field, Rowing, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Cpl. Clare McAuley Royal Air Force Veteran Home County: Lanarkshire Event(s): Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming, Rowing, Cycling

Capt. Benjamin McComb British Army Home County: North Yorkshire Event(s): Swimming, Field, Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

Guardsman Allan McSween British Army Veteran Home County: London Event(s): Track, Field, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. Derek Mundy British Army Veteran Home County: Buckinghamshire Event(s): Field, Swimming, Shooting, Archery, Cycling

Lance Cpl. Richie O’Connell British Army Veteran Home County: Cheshire Event(s): Archery, Shooting

Pvt. Joe Preston British Army Home County: Warwickshire Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming

TEAM UK

Sgt. Georgina Smith Royal Air Force Home County: Vale of Glamorgan Event(s): Track, Field, Rowing, Powerlifting, Shooting

Able Rating Danielle Stevens Royal Navy Veteran Home County: East Sussex Event(s): Track, Rowing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming

Capt. Emma Templeton British Army Veteran Home County: North Yorkshire Event(s): Powerlifting, Swimming, Field, Rowing

Cpl. John Willans British Army Home County: Perth Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Tennis, Swimming

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TEAM AUSTRALIA

The Adaptive Sports Program (ASP) serves as the administration and advisory body for the Australian Defence Forces’ (ADF) adaptive sports. The ASP provides leadership, coordination, funding and support to other key stakeholders across the wounded, injured, and ill adaptive sports community. The ADF ASP works with a range of partners, in particular Veteran Sports Australia (VSA), The Road Home, and the Returned Services League (RSL), recognizing that a collaborative approach between a range of key individuals and organizations delivers greater results for service members, veterans, and their families. Through this work, with ADF sporting associations, other national sporting bodies, government departments and agencies, community based organizations, and the ex-Services Organisations (ESOs), the ADF and VSA are collaborating to develop a sustainable national adaptive sport program.

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Major Brigid Baker Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania Event(s): Rowing, Field, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Powerlifting

Sergeant Shane Bramley Australian Army Current Location: Townsville, Queensland Hometown: Bendigo, Victoria Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Tennis, Sitting Volleyball, Field

Leading Seaman Vanessa Broughill Royal Australian Navy Current Location: South Australia Hometown: Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Event(s): Rowing, Field, Swimming, Powerlifting, Cycling

Able Seaman Matthew Brown Royal Australian Navy Current Location: HMAS Stirling – Perth, Western Australia Hometown: Yeppoon, Queensland Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Archery

Private Peter Brown Australian Army Current Location: Townsville, Queensland Hometown: St Mary’s, New South Wales Event(s): Rowing, Swimming, Field, Sitting Volleyball, Powerlifting

Corporal Daniel Cochrane Royal Australian Air Force Current Location: RAAF Base Wagga Wagga, New South Wales Hometown: Toowoomba, Queensland Event(s): Rowing, Track, Field, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming

Able Seaman Mark Daniels Royal Australian Navy Veteran Current Location: Wandi, Western Australia Hometown: Forest Lake, Queensland Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Rowing, Cycling, Swimming

Corporal Trent Forbes Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Brisbane, Queensland Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania Event(s): Cycling, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Rowing , Wheelchair Tennis, Swimming

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Captain Brendan Hardman Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Adelaide, South Australia Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Flight Lieutenant Narelle Mason Royal Australian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Adelaide, South Australia Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia Event(s): Archery, Track, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Private Seth McKay Australian Army Current Location: Townsville, Queensland Hometown: Brewarrina, New South Wales Event(s): Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Basketball, Field, Archery, Sitting Volleyball

Flight Sergeant Benjamin Morgan Royal Australian Air Force Current Location: Adelaide, South Australia Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia Event(s): Cycling, Swimming, Rowing, Track, Wheelchair Basketball

Corporal Carlo Novak Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Hobart, Tasmania Hometown: Hobart, Tasmania Event(s): Field, Archery, Powerlifting, Rowing, Cycling, Shooting, Swimming, Track

Corporal Caitlin Orchard Royal Australian Air Force Current Location: Tindal, Northern Territory Hometown: Geraldton, Western Australia Event(s): Rowing, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Track, Powerlifting, Cycling

Pilot Officer Nathan Parker Royal Australian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Lismore, New South Wales Hometown: Lismore, New South Wales Event(s): Rowing, Track, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Warrant Officer Class Two Darren Peters Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Adelaide, South Australia Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Archery

TEAM AUSTRALIA

Private Ryan Roberts Australian Army Current Location: Holsworthy, New South Wales Hometown: Picton, New South Wales Event(s): Track, Field, Rowing

Flight Lieutenant Amanda Scott Royal Australian Air Force Current Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Hometown: Windang, New South Wales Event(s): Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Tennis

Private Rye Shawcroft Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Melbourne, Victoria Hometown: Carrum Downs, Victoria Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming

Corporal Tony Sten Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Brisbane, Queensland Hometown: Ballina, New South Wales Event(s): Rowing, Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Field, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Trooper Shannon Stewart Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Townsville, Queensland Hometown: Pendle Hill, New South Wales Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby, Archery

Lieutenant Kerrie Tessier Australian Army Veteran Current Location: Adelaide, South Australia Hometown: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Field

Corporal Robert Webb Australian Army Current Location: Oakey, Queensland Hometown: Gold Coast, Queensland Event(s): All

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TEAM CANADA

Soldier On is recognized for improving the quality of life of Canada’s ill and injured service members. The program is a highly visible and integral component of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group’s commitment to the care of its recovering service members. The program has supported thousands of veterans and serving members in adapting to and overcoming permanent physical or mental health injuries through the transformative power of sport. Using a community-based delivery model combined with the camaraderie of peers, the program offers a wide range of recreational and athletic opportunities from fly-fishing to alpine skiing, and now the Warrior Games.

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Master Bombardier Ian Blaedow Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Event(s): Shooting, Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Golf

Officer Cadet Mike Briggs Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Ajax, Ontario Event(s): Swimming, Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball

Petty Officer 1st Class Peggy Brogaard Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Kingston, Ontario Event(s): Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Master Cpl. Tim Carriere Canadian Army Current Location: Peterborough, Ontario Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

Cpl. Natalie Champagne Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta Event(s): Shooting, Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Golf

Master Cpl. Lawrence Christensen Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Trenton, Ontario Event(s): Swimming, Archery, Sitting Volleyball

Leading Seaman Desi Cozier Royal Canadian Navy Current Location: Victoria, British Columbia Event(s): Shooting, Rowing, Wheelchair Rugby, Field

Lt. Col. Daniel Dandurand Canadian Army Current Location: Stittsville, Ontario Event(s): Rowing, Powerlifting, Track, Shooting, Swimming

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Medical Technician Master Cpl. Pierre Desrosiers Canadian Army Current Location: Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec Event(s): Swimming, Rowing, Shooting, Wheelchair Rugby

Military Police Master Cpl. Debbie Dufour Canadian Army Current Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta Event(s): Rowing, Wheelchair Rugby, Track

Warrant Officer Donna Forster Royal Canadian Air Force Current Location: Trenton, Ontario Event(s): Archery, Field, Cycling, Sitting Volleyball

Sgt. Robert Gagnon Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Trenton, Ontario Event(s): Shooting, Swimming, Cycling

Capt. Daniel Germain Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran Current Location: Ste-Catherine-De-LaJacques-Cartier, Quebec Event(s): Golf, Shooting, Archery

Sgt. Patrick Wayne Gordon Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Rothesay, New Brunswick Event(s): Track, Field

Master Cpl. Stephane Jobin Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: City of Quebec, Quebec Event(s): Field, Shooting, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. Marion Kelly Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran Current Location: St. Catherines, Ontario Event(s): Swimming, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

TEAM CANADA

Cpl. Nick Kerr Canadian Army Current Location: Dunrobin, Ontario Event(s): Swimming, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Golf

Master Seaman Laura Livesey Royal Canadian Navy Current Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Event(s): Swimming, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball

Master Cpl. Jim Lowther Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Event(s): Shooting, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball

Master Bombardier Mark Makepeace Canadian Army Current Location: Gagetown, New Brunswick Event(s): Cycling, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Capt. Derek McDonald Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Mount Pearl, Newfoundland Event(s): Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

Maj. Cory Moore Canadian Army Current Location: Stittsville, Ontario Event(s): Shooting, Wheelchair Tennis, Sitting Volleyball

Capt. Kristina Moreau Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Courtice, Ontario Event(s): Shooting, Rowing, Wheelchair Basketball, Golf

Petty Officer 2nd Class Lisa Nilsson Royal Canadian Navy Current Location: Sooke, British Columbia Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting, Shooting

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Maj. Dave Nixon Canadian Army Current Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Event(s): Cycling

Master Warrant Officer John O’Neill Canadian Army Current Location: Collingwood, Ontario Event(s): Field, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball

Master Bombardier Bradley Richard Peters Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Waasis, New Brunswick Event(s): Powerlifting, Field, Wheelchair Rugby

Warrant Officer Damien Pittman Canadian Army Current Location: Kingston, Ontario Event(s): Archery, Powerlifting

Cpl. Kyle Ricketts Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Bridgetown, Nova Scotia Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby

Sgt. Ernest “Daryl” Sagar Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Edmonton, Alberta Event(s): Archery, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball

Lt. Christina Seed Royal Canadian Navy Current Location: Woodlawn, Ontario Event(s): Archery, Powerlifting, Field

Capt. Jennifer Sizer Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Victoria, British Columbia Event(s): Swimming, Cycling, Rowing, Powerlifting, Archery, Shooting, Field

TEAM CANADA

Sgt. Peter Sova Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Event(s): Powerlifting, Track, Archery

Master Cpl. Frieda Van Putten Royal Canadian Navy Veteran Current Location: Victoria, British Columbia Event(s): Swimming, Cycling, Field

Master Cpl. Trevor Vautour Canadian Army Veteran Current Location: Russell, Ontario.

Event(s): Rowing, Track, Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby

Master Cpl. Steven Walpole Royal Canadian Air Force Current Location: Wasaga Beach, Ontario Event(s): Wheelchair Tennis, Cycling

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TEAM NETHERLANDS

The soldiers of the Royal Netherlands armed forces have been deployed worldwide for peace and security since World War II. In the Veterans Act, our minister has the special duty to care for veterans who require care as a result of deployment. Taking care of our soldiers is what it is all about. This duty of care means that veterans and their relations are assisted in their rehabilitation and reintegration and in obtaining material care, social support, or mental health care.

The Warrior Team The Netherlands 2019 is an initiative of two foundations. This Dutch team is sponsored by the foundation “Help for Heroes” and is supported by facilities of DOD and civil authorities.

We are convinced Team NLD 2019 will inspire the nation’s wounded veterans during the Warrior Games. Our goal is to support their rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of those who serve their country.

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Cpl. Wilbert Beurskens Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Helden, The Netherlands Hometown: Helden, The Netherlands Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball

Cpl. Joey Blokland Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Hereveld, The Netherlands Hometown: Hereveld, The Netherlands Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Swimming, Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball

Cpl. Peter Burger Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Heiloo, The Netherlands Hometown: Heiloo, The Netherlands Event(s): Archery, Cycling, Track, Field, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Shooting

Staff Sgt. Celalettin Demirtas Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Arnhem, The Netherlands Hometown: Doetinchem, The Netherlands Event(s): Powerlifting, Field, Shooting

TEAM NETHERLANDS

Warrant Officer Jacco Dudink Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Apeldoorn, The Netherlands Hometown: Lelystad, The Netherlands Event(s): Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Archery, Shooting

Master Sgt. Ymo Hartzema Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Well, The Netherlands Hometown: Well, The Netherlands Event(s): Shooting, Wheelchair Basketball, Field, Sitting Volleyball

Cpl. Michel Jansen Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Giesbeek, The Netherlands Hometown: Giesbeek, The Netherlands Event(s): Archery, Field, Wheelchair Basketball, Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

Cpl. Anthony Le Poole Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Gouda, The Netherlands Hometown: Dirksland, The Netherlands Event(s): Field, Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Rugby

Cpl. Patrick Van De Vrie Royal Netherlands Military Police Veteran Current Location: The Netherlands Hometown: The Netherlands Event(s): Cycling, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball

Cpl. Ton Van Den Oetelaar Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Zutphen, The Netherlands Hometown: Zutphen, The Netherlands Event(s): Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Field, Track, Powerlifting

Cpl. Robert Van Der Holst Royal Netherlands Army Veteran Current Location: Renkum, The Netherlands Hometown: Renkum, The Netherlands Event(s): Ultimate Warrior

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WARRIOR GAMES Saint Leo University has proudly educated veterans and military families for nearly 50 years. We support and celebrate every participant in the 2019 Warrior Games as they demonstrate their strength, agility, and teamwork through competition.

Saint Leo thanks each of you for your service and heroism, and (we) honor every warrior and their families.

We salute and thank our Wounded Warriors and their loved ones, and wish all participants the best of luck.

800.707.8846 | saintleo.edu No Federal endorsement of sponsor intended.

All members in this swearing-in ceremony photo have proudly served, or are currently serving, in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Civilian And Sworn Positions Available

Let us help you connect to the next step in your career.

• Retired service members/veterans • Transitioning service members • Guard & reserve members • Military spouses • Friends & family of members

Visit “Careers” at pcsoweb.com | 10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33778 | 727-582-6208 No Federal endorsement of sponsor intended.

TEAM DENMARK

“Veteranskytterne/Danish Wounded Warriors� is for active military personel and veterans wounded or injured in service as well as their close relatives. The majority of these soldiers have been critically injured or somehow marked by their deployment for Denmark. The organization is constantly growing, and holds at this moment around 150 members. The organization has existed since June 2014, and was started by 1st Sgt. Jacob Panton-Kristensen, who was critically injured in Afghanistan.

Dino, Danish Police Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Track, Powerlifting, Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

Jesper, Royal Danish Army Veteran Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Track, Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

Karsten, Royal Danish Army Veteran Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Track, Archery, Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

Lasse, Royal Danish Navy Veteran Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Ultimate Champion

Poul, Royal Danish Army Veteran Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Ultimate Champion

Thomas, Danish Police Current Location: Denmark Event(s): Track, Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Shooting

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MAPS

VENUE MAPS .

EY DR ASHL S.

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All maps designed by Daniel Mrgan

Medal ceremonies

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MACDILL FLIGHT LINE

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AUTOGRAPHS

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AUTOGRAPHS

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