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.