Sunday, May 12, 2013
The 200 wounded, injured and ill service members and veterans competing in this year’s Warrior Games are the best of the best, says the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, May 12
By Terri Moon Cronk American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON -- The 200 wounded, injured and ill service members and veterans competing in this year’s Warrior Games are the best of the best, Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Saturday during the event’s opening ceremonies in Colorado Springs, Colo. Winnefeld called the games, comprising volleyball, wheelchair basketball, archery, swimming, cycling, shooting, track and field including discus and shot put events, the “highlight of the year” in his keynote remarks. The games run through May 16 at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Olympic Training Center, both in Colorado Springs. “You're here because of your willingness to overcome great …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Despite having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Maj. John Arbino has prepared himself to compete in both air rifle and wheelchair racing events during the upcoming Warrior Games.
Army News Service FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- On a sunny Friday afternoon, Maj. John Arbino, sitting in a modified sports wheelchair, pushed himself up a ramp to the uppermost level of a parking deck. With the bright blue sky overhead, he turned around and sped back to the bottom. When he reached the spot where he'd started, Arbino picked up a piece of chalk -- which he otherwise kept tucked away behind a pipe at the bottom of the ramp -- and marked a tick on a concrete pillar to record the first of many laps he would do that day while training for the 2013 Warrior Games. Despite having been diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, Arbino has prepared himself to compete in both air rifle and wheelchair racing events during the …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Wounded soldiers have a message they’d like to pass on to the Boston bombing victims: You’re not alone.
By Elaine Sanchez Brooke Army Medical Center JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- Wounded soldiers recovering here have a message they’d like to pass on to the Boston bombing victims: You’re not alone. They can relate to the devastating aftermath of an explosion and the emotional and physical pain of lost limbs. And they know firsthand the courage and strength required to heal after blast injuries like those at the Boston Marathon. Still, they have a message of hope to deliver. “Keep your head up and don’t quit,” Army Sgt. Christopher Haley said. Haley lost his right leg and injured his left when a roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan in September 2011. He remembers the moments after -- the shock and disbelief and the quick…
Sunday, April 28, 2013
A wounded warrior trains to compete in the 2013 Warrior Games.
Army News Service SAN ANTONIO -- When service members deploy, their mentality is to stay focused with determination and courage to succeed in their given mission. However, when they are injured in combat -- to stay focused is not about the mission, it's about getting back confidence that is sometimes lost. Sgt. Ryan McIntosh was an avid athlete who was heavily involved with sports throughout high school. He competed in track and played football -- even semi-professional football. After high school, McIntosh joined the Army in 2010, as an infantryman, and deployed to Afghanistan shortly after he graduated from basic training in Colorado in April 2010. Everything was going well as planned until one day, unexpectedly, his life changed forever…
Thursday, April 18, 2013
A group of wounded warriors received a presidential send-off at the White House Wednesday as they launched a four-day bicycle ride.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, April 18
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON -- A group of wounded warriors received a presidential send-off at the White House Wednesday as they launched a four-day bicycle ride to show the world and themselves what they’re still capable of accomplishing. President Barack Obama joined Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki on the South Lawn this afternoon to recognize a group of wounded warriors who are participating in the Soldier Ride for their service, sacrifice and inspiration. That inspiration is particularly meaningful as the nation grapples with this week’s bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon, the president told the riders. Many of the survivors of the attacks are just beginning what for some will be a long road …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Wounded, ill and injured soldiers and veterans trained and competed for months to be one of 50 athletes representing the Army team.
Army News Service ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Warrior Transition Command announced the Army team for the 2013 Warrior Games Wednesday. Wounded, ill and injured soldiers and veterans trained and competed for months to be one of 50 athletes representing the Army team. Army athletes will compete against Marines Corps, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force, Special Operations Command, and United Kingdom teams, May 11-16, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. The Paralympic-style competition for wounded, ill and injured service members allows athletes to compete for gold medals in shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball, cycling, track and field and wheelchair basketball. In addition to winners in each…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Bearing a large Easter basket brimming with cookies, First Lady Michelle Obama visited seven families of recuperating service members at Fisher House No. 4 at Walter Reed.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, March 20
By Terri Moon Cronk American Forces Press Service BETHESDA, Md. -- Bearing a large Easter basket brimming with cookies, First Lady Michelle Obama visited seven families of recuperating service members at Fisher House No. 4 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Wednesday. As part of her Joining Forces initiative -- a national movement for all sectors of society to support and honor America's service members and their families that’s co-sponsored by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden -- today was the first lady’s second Easter celebration at one of Walter Reed’s Fisher Houses. She spent time with each family at tables decorated in the children’s Easter art. Bo, the first family’s dog, was at her side, bringing squeals…
Sunday, March 3, 2013
3rd Infantry Division recently hosted wounded warriors who returned to Afghanistan as part of Operation Proper Exit, a program that returns wounded troops to theaters of operation to see the progress made there.
By Sgt. Uriah Walker 3rd Infantry Division KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Two Marines and seven soldiers injured during combat operations traveled to several locations in Afghanistan, including Kandahar Airfield and Camp Nathan Smith, to see the progress being made in the country that changed many of their lives forever. Prosthetics and scars are physical reminders of the sacrifices services members make nearly every day in the ongoing War on Terror. What can’t be seen, are the mental and emotional scars endured by the brutal lessons of combat that can be as debilitating as a missing limb. Through Operation Proper Exit, an initiative of Feherty’s Troops First Foundation which provides support for wounded warriors injured and medically …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden greet wounded soldiers.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, February 13
Army News Service LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany -- Spc. Michael Allison froze when Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, Ph.D., entered his hospital room, Feb. 3, but his 19-month-old son Logan didn't miss a beat. Within minutes, Logan was saying, "hold you, hold you" to Mrs. Biden, and soon found himself nestled in her arms. He also received a stuffed toy replica of the Biden family dog Champ, and a copy of Mrs. Biden's book, "Don't Forget: God Bless Our Troops." Dad wasn't as quick to relax. "I never really met anybody that important, so to meet someone like that, I was kind of star-struck for a second," said Allison, a combat engineer recovering from a gunshot wound received during a firefight in Afghanistan. "I…
Sunday, February 3, 2013
An adaptive sports competition for service members and veterans has been expanded.
- SPORTS
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Sunday, February 3
Army News Service SAN ANTONIO -- The Valor Games Midwest, an adaptive sports competition for military veterans and service members with physical disabilities, have been expanded this year into the Southeast, Southwest and Northwest. Established in 2011 by World Sport Chicago in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Paralympics to provide a venue for wounded warriors and disabled Veterans in Chicago, the 2013 Valor Games Series also will be staged in Durham, N.C., San Antonio and San Jose, Calif. "We're proud to expand this great event for veterans that World Sport Chicago has made so popular," said Chris Nowak, director of the VA office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events. "By offering the …
