Warrior Games closing marks new beginning

Nearly 200 take part in adaptive sports at event

Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden/American Forces Press Service

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The 2010 Warrior Games might have ended May 14, but for wounded warriors who competed, officials hope, the work is just beginning.

“You’ve just completed a rigorous test of your physical and mental skills, your strength and endurance,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the athletes in a video message aired during the closing ceremony. “But now is no time to rest. I’d like you to take what you’ve done here, what you’ve learned here and continue to serve as role models for others striving to find the independence they need.”

The competition formally ended at the Air Force Academy in a ceremony honoring the nearly 200 wounded warriors and disabled veterans who represented their services in the inaugural Warrior Games.

The troops competed in a weeklong series of Paralympic-style events at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and at the Academy. They were challenged individuals and in teams in shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball, cycling, wheelchair basketball and track and field events.

The athletes were selected by their services to compete because of progress made using adaptive sports as a method of rehabilitation. Their willingness to participate in the games and ability to overcome adversity can inspire others to do the same, Mullen said.

“You’ve demonstrated how physical fitness can help heal the mind, body and soul,” Mullen added. “That’s a message worth sharing, and yours is a story worth telling.”

Mullen lauded the troops for their accomplishments, but reminded them that other wounded warriors need their help.

That means helping wounded service members understand how to properly heal themselves and find closure in their injuries, Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told the competitors.

Overcoming adversity is more than simply healing physical wounds, Renuart said, adding that it involves accepting new challenges and taking risks, pushing the limits of disabilities.

“Healing is an interesting situation that a person goes through,” he said. “Certainly, healing is about recovering from an injury or recovering from an illness, but healing is also about finding how much you can push yourself.

“There was a lot of healing going on this week,” he said, “and a little bit of fun, too.”

Renuart recalled some of the action he watched during the week. The competitions were hard-fought and filled with all the spirit and aggressiveness officials had hoped for in the games, he said.

Troops taunted each other throughout the week, trading insults and trash talk about whose service is better and how bad the other team was going to get beat. However, sportsmanship was never a concern. The games were all in good fun.

“Certainly, there were teams out there fighting for their colors, but I notice in every circumstance, when the competition ended, there were arms around each other,” Renuart said. “It was about how we competed as a team.”

Renuart presented the Chairman’s Cup to the Marine Corps team on behalf of Mullen. The honor is bestowed on the team with the most points at the end of the week based on medal count. The Marines won gold in both sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

Retired Marine Lance Cpl. Chuck Sketch accepted the award for his team. The Marines elected him team captain before the competition.

Sketch lost his sight in August 1997 from a brain tumor, and then had both legs amputated in January 1998, due to complications.

He competed in swimming events during the competition, and had the time of his life, he said.

“Winning the Chairman’s Cup is great,” Sketch said. “I cannot wait until next year.”

However, Sketch admitted that there is one thing he hopes will be different by next year’s games.

“More wounded warriors should take part,” he said.

“I wish all of the wounded warriors were here,” Sketch said. “They missed out on the best time, and I wish they were here to experience this. As more and more people find out about it, hopefully, there will be far more people next year.”

The games’ top individual honor, the Ultimate Champion award, went to Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Hathorn, a naval special warfare boat operator who was hit by a truck driven by a local national during an overseas deployment last year. He nudged out Army Pfc. Robert Nuss by a single point.

Army Sgt. Cayle Foidel, a forward observer who permanently injured his leg in a training accident in January, shares Sketch and Hathorn’s enthusiasm. He won three gold medals, all in swimming. When he returns to Joint Base Lewis-McChord next week, he’s going to do just what Mullen asked, share his positive experiences with other wounded warriors, he said.

“After these games, I’m going back to Lewis and try to get other people to do this,” Foidel said. “I’m going to go there with my three gold medals, and say, ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’”

The games are a joint venture of the Defense Department, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the United Service Organizations to promote resilience and the healing power of sports. The closing ceremony featured country music recording artists John Rich and Cowboy Troy.

Officials hope to make the games an annual event and possibly expand participation and future venues.