USSOCOM and the city of Tampa mark 100 days from the 2019 Warrior Games
March 14 marks the 100-day countdown to the 2019 Warrior games.

By: Michael Bottoms - USSOCOM Office of Communication - 3/15/2019

  • Conference
    (From left to right) Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro, Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Army Col. Cary Harbaugh, and Navy Cmdr. Clay Pendergrass.  (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo.)
  • Army Master Sgt. George Vera (center) participates in a wheelchair basketball demonstration March 14 marking 100 days away from the 2019 Warrior Games to be held in Tampa, Fla., June 21 - 30. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo.)
  • USSOCOM Para-Commando Kirk Knight lands after parachuting into the press event March 14 marking 100 days away from the 2019 Warrior Games to be held in Tampa, Fla., June 21 - 30. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Loo.)

You will see courage and resilience like you have never seen before. If you don’t walk away inspired. You don’t have a pulse. - Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III


MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – On a bright, beautiful south Florida day the city of Tampa and U.S. Special Operations Command announced that March 14 is 100 days away from the DoD Warrior Games. More than 300 wounded, ill or injured active-duty and veteran military athletes come to Tampa Bay June 21-30 to compete in a Paralympic-type competition. This is the first time the Warrior Games will be held in Tampa and hosted by U.S. Special Operations Command.

To mark the occasion, Warrior Games athletes and coaches, gathered with USSOCOM and community leaders in downtown Tampa at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. USSOCOM’s parachute demonstration team, the Para-Commandos, opened the celebration by jumping into the park. Additionally, there were sports and equipment demonstrations, including a wheelchair basketball exhibition.

Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn hosted the event.

“Let me tell you what the games are all about. They are a showcase of our extraordinary warriors who have been dealt a tough hand of cards in terms of being wounded, ill, or injured. It [Warrior Games] gives them an opportunity to shine, to demonstrate their resilience to face those challenges in a variety of adaptive sports,” Thomas said. “You will see courage and resilience like you have never seen before. If you don’t walk away inspired. You don’t have a pulse.”

Echoing Thomas’s comments, Buckhorn opened up the city’s generosity and expressed his appreciation for the military.

“We are a military town. We make no bones about it. I go back to SOCOM with Gen. Carl Stiner [Second USSOCOM commander] in 1991 and it is an honor not only to be the mayor, but be the host city for Special Operations Command,” Buckhorn said. “We understand what you do because you are us, you are our family members, you are our brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and we recognize the contributions of the spouses when you deploy. We know, to the extent any civilian community can possibly know, what it is you do for us. So for us, there is never enough that we can do for you. So for us to host these games, to celebrate the amazing athletes, is a tremendous honor.”

Created in 2010, the DoD Warrior Games introduce wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to Paralympic-style sports. Warrior Games showcases the resilient spirit of today’s wounded, ill or injured service members from all branches of the military.

This year, Warrior Games athletes will represent the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Command. Athletes from the U.K. Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, Canadian Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Netherlands, and the Danish Armed Forces. Team members are military service members or veterans with upper-body, lower-body, and spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; visual impairment; serious illnesses; and post-traumatic stress. Learn more about the Warrior Games at DODWarriorGames.com.


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