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After a week of intense international competition, the 2016
Department of Defense Warrior Games drew to a close
June 21, 2016 at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY
with a medal ceremony and a concert, followed by fireworks.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley reminded the audience that
the competitors, representing the Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast
Guard, Marines, U.S. Special Operations Command and the United
Kingdom armed forces, were the best of the best.
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June 21, 2016 - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley hugs Army veteran Sgt. Ryan
Major after Milley accepted the torch for the Department of Defense
Warrior Games at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom)
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“This is a tough competition,” he said. “A lot of people don't
realize what this competition means. First of all, you had to walk
the hallowed grounds of the battlefield or you had to get injured or
sick in the service of your nation. That alone makes you the best of
the best.”
Milley noted that the Warrior Games competitors
had earned their places at the games by competing against a field of
2,000 to 3,000 other athletes at regional and service-level trials
in track and field, swimming, shooting, archery, sitting volleyball,
cycling and wheelchair basketball.
Paralympic Standards
“They had to meet Paralympic standards. The coaches, the staff,
the referees were all professionals and former Paralympians. The
standards were high. This is a tough competition,” the general said.
“There's not an athlete on this field who got there by themselves.
They got there because of their families, their caregivers, their
medical professionals, their coaches, their friends and countless
others. You're a tremendously inspiring group of people. Thank you
so much for your spirit of competition and your resiliency.”
From June 15-21, wounded, ill and injured athletes competed in the
various sports for gold, silver and bronze medals, pushing through
injuries, getting engaged and reconnecting with friends. For some,
this was their last DoD Warrior Games, and their next competition
will be the Invictus Games. For others, the road to the Paralympics
is just beginning.
The week culminated in a gold-medal
matchup in volleyball between Air Force and Socom, with both teams
keeping the score tight in both games. The Air Force team earned
gold by topping Socom 25-23 and 25-22. The final game of the week
was wheelchair basketball, with Army dominating the Marine Corps
team 62-23 for the gold.
Heart of the Team
Though the
athletes felt a sense of accomplishment with the medals, most of
them said their biggest takeaway from the week was the sense of
camaraderie and friendship. This year, the DoD Warrior Games added
Heart of the Team awards. These were awarded to one member on each
team who best exemplified the camaraderie of the sport. The teams
chose received the awards and surprised each recipient.
The
recipients were medically retired Army Sgt. Ryan Major, Marine Corps
Lance Cpl. Dakota Boyer, medically retired Navy Airman Austin Chance
Field, medically retired Air Force Capt. Chris Cochrane, Socom Navy
Lt. Ramesh Haytasingh and Royal Marine Justin Montague.
Boyer
said he was surprised to receive the award.
“It was the best
feeling I've felt in a long time,” he said. “I was cheering my
teammates on to win and to do good things. I was never not going to
cheer for them. This event was one of the greatest feelings in the
world. You have a full team behind you and support. You're never
going to find the love like this anywhere else and people who know
what you're going through.”
Cochrane and his wife, Ashley,
were surprised as well.
“I was stunned,” he said. “They see
something inspiring in me and my wife and my life after the tragic
circumstances. They just know we want to help and medals or not,
it's all the friendships and the strength we've found together. We
just try to press on and get more people involved and more focused
on the visible and the invisible wounds.”
“I could not
possibly be more proud of him,” Ashley said. “Starting adaptive
sports was a game-changer for his recovery, and seeing what he did
this week is just mind-blowing. My heart is just bursting.”
Milley declared the games closed and handed the DoD Warrior Games
torch off to Navy Vice Adm. Dixon R. Smith, commander of Navy
Installations Command, to symbolize the start of the run-up for the
next DoD Warrior games, which the Navy will host in Chicago next
June.
A C-17 Globemaster III from Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base, Ohio, conducted a flyover. Actor Gary Sinise performed a
concert with his Lt. Dan Band for the athletes and their families,
and then a fireworks display closed out the evening.
By Shannon Collins
DOD News
Copyright 2016
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