Wounded Warriors Compete in Wheelchair Games
Posted by Guest. Filed in Active Duty, National Guard, Reserves, Wounded Warriors |
After hearing a lot about poor treatment for wounded warriors, it’s encouraging to learn about the VA’s Wheelchair Games for combat wounded warriors.
Army Staff Sgt. John Bennett, was shot by a sniper in Iraq in February 2005. Three years ago, just 11 months after leaving the hospital, Bennett attended his first National Veterans Wheelchair Games. By the time the competition had finished, he’d earned two gold medals, in basketball and the 100-meter wheelchair race, as well as a bronze in bowling.
Now back at the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, Wash., Bennett is helping to show other disabled veterans that they can do it, too. He’s among more than 500 disabled veterans, about half of them wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. “A ton of them are novices,” he said, meaning first-timers to the wheelchair games participating in their first sporting event since becoming disabled.
The event is the world’s largest annual wheelchair sports competition, bringing together veterans with spinal cord injuries, amputations or other mobility or neurological conditions to compete in 17 different events.
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games helps veterans help each other build self-confidence as they rehabilitate together, says wheelchair athlete Steve McGuire. In addition to the wheelchair games, the VA co-sponsors three other national rehabilitative events: the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the National Veterans Golden Age Games and the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
To read more about the National Wheelchair Games, click here. Military OneSource has many ideas about recreation programs for people with disabilities. Go here to read more.
…comment from Chaplain Campbell
One of my former wing chaplains (head installation chaplain) was tragically disabled in an accident and ended up wheelchair bound.
Following his medical retirement from the military he participated actively in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games and found them to be very stimulating.
This is a great initiative worthy of our support!
Chaplain Campbell
Steve McGuire, a now-retired Navy petty officer second class disabled by a motorcycle accident after returning from an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment, said the National Veterans Wheelchair Games give him an opportunity to share with and learn from other disabled veterans. Photo courtesy of VA
Tags: Veterans Administration, wheelchair games, wounded warrior
