We take care of all of our Soldiers – wounded, ill or injured.
Veteran Charles Armstead takes time out from Warrior Games training schedule to discuss the importance of the Army adaptive reconditioning program. He credits the program with helping transform his life, attitude, and priorities. He is competing in cycling, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball. Armstead resides in Needville, Texas. Photograph by Christian Turner

Christian Turner, Guest Blogger
“Paying it forward” has become the credo for Sgt. 1^st Class Charles Armstead.  While this year will be Armstead’s first at the Warrior Games, he is already preparing to win a victory for the Army team. Things weren’t always as hopeful. In May 2009, the armor crewman was struck in the abdomen by an insurgent bullet at close range while deployed to Iraq. The round shattered his right hip and severed his spine, leaving him with permanent nerve damage in his left leg and the amputation of his right leg at the hip.

Like many wounded warriors competing in this week’s games, the road to recovery for this Army Veteran is ongoing. “I spent two or three months feeling sorry for myself,” he confessed, “then I decided to do something.”  It was the visit of a Vietnam Veteran, who shared the same injuries as Armstead, that inspired him to take action. Soon, the sergeant found himself encouraging new arrivals at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, reminding the recently injured Soldiers, “there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

While at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Armstead was introduced to adaptive reconditioning through the Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). It was there that Armstead began developing a passion for hand cycling and wheelchair basketball. These two sports provided an opportunity for him to gain the cardio exercise he so desperately missed after sustaining his injuries. In his words, “the joy of cycling came naturally, it wasn’t a forced effort.”  This joy proved contagious, with Armstead taking his love of basketball and cycling to the Warrior Games. “I’m real competitive,” says a smiling Armstead.

“Warrior Games is a chance to again compete for the Army.” This sentiment expressed by Armstead is one shared by many Soldiers here.  It’s a chance to demonstrate to the community that a wounded warrior’s mission is ongoing. Sometimes, people who are unfamiliar with assisting wounded Soldiers can mean well, offering so much help that it can serve as a hindrance to recovery. The Veteran recounts, “Often, I have to tell people ‘No’ when they offer tohelp me do simple tasks. I try to never be rude, but I have to attempt things on my own if I am to be the independent person I need to be.”

The Veteran is extremely grateful for the outreach provided by the WTU and organizations such as Heroes on the Water. “Its nice to know there are still some good people in the world who value what Soldiers do on a daily basis,”said an emotional Armstead. Through his injuries and events like the Warrior Games, Armstead has strengthened his resolve and perspective towards recovery. “I know everything happens for a reason,” he said , “and without my injury I would have never met people just like me who have become the strongest circle of friends in my life.”

Armstead looks forward to competing in Wheelchair Basketball for the Army, but the greater excitement lies in seeing his family, who are joining him for the competition.   “My family has provided the greatest encouragement to me during this whole process. And, through social media, they’ve been able to cheer me on the whole way. I think they’re even more excited than I am.”

By:  LuAnn Georgia, Warrior Transition Command 

Veteran Ashley Crandall shares how adaptive reconditioning has helped her deal with injuries sustained while on active duty in the Army. Crandall, from Salt Lake City, Utah, has found a sense of purpose working with other disabled Soldiers and Veterans and encourages them to get active. This year at Warrior Games, she is competing in swimming and cycling. Photograph by: Christian Turner

Ashley Crandall never questioned her decision to join the Army.  She joined under delayed enlistment at 16, and was on active duty after she turned 17. Crandall served for over ten years before retiring for medical reasons.

During her time in the Army Crandall worked as a helicopter mechanic, serving three combat tours in Iraq,  and three weeks before she was supposed to return home from her third deployment she realized that “something was wrong, something had changed inside”.  She noted that in addition to dealing with the trauma of combat, she was the survivor of two separate incidences of sexual assault.  All of the trauma caught up with her and she was diagnosed with PTSD and hospitalized on Christmas day.  On New Year ’s Day she was medevaced to Walter Reed where she spent the next three years recovering and rehabilitating.

These days Crandall spends much of her time training, cycling and working with other Soldiers and Veterans to help with their recovery.  When ask about how she became interested in cycling, she said “while at Walter Reed a friend talked me into doing a bike ride with the organization Face of America”. Although she hadn’t been on a bike in over 15 years, she borrowed a mountain bike and went on to complete the two-day, 110 mile ride. The same friend, who talked Crandall into her first ride, convinced her to get involved with the organization Ride 2 Recovery (R2R). She shared that R2R challenges offered more intense rides ranging from 300-500 miles, lasting up to six days and that she has completed 20 of these challenges since 2009.

Crandall goes on to say “Ride 2 Recovery saved my life”. She adds that cycling serves more than one purpose in her life “not only does it help me physically, it also acts as therapy. It’s not stressful and you have people that you ride next to who you can talk with but when you start pedaling all the stress and frustration goes into the pavement.” She added that cycling with R2R is different because “it’s a ride, not a race and no one rides faster than the slowest rider. The slowest rider sets the pace.”

When ask about her feelings towards Warrior Games Ashley said “my original goal was just to get here but once I made the team my goals started to change”. Crandall hopes to medal but adds “the competition is a little intimidating. It’s my first race ever”. She goes on to say that she likes being around the other athletes because “you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone. No one is asking questions because they already know.”

Training for Crandall includes working with a private coach at least four days a week for up to two hours a day. Outside of training and competing at Warrior Games, she is also working to establish a daily cycling program at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration. The goal is to get other disabled Veterans engaged in their own recovery.

Although Crandall prefers to work “behind the scenes” she knows she has to share her story in order to help herself as well as others in the recovery and rehabilitation process. Her greatest reward comes from “helping others grow and gain confidence”.

After 24 years on the wheelchair basketball court, Jimmy Green prepared to earn Army Warrior Games gold. Pictured here at the National Veteran Wheelchair Games, Green holds a 2008 Division 3 national title.

By Sarah Bartnick, WTC Stratcom
It’s been 26 years since the car accident outside Fort Lewis, Washington, that left Jimmy Green a paraplegic and ended his Army career. And 24 years since he discovered wheelchair basketball.

“As soon as I rolled into that gym, a light came over me,” said Green of the day he skeptically ventured into an interest meeting for a new team in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. “It gave me my identity back—I realized I could still be an athlete.”

Green went on to an illustrious wheelchair basketball career, winning the Division 3 National Championship in 2008 and as a current member of the Orlando Magic Wheels. He’s seen the game evolve over the last quarter-century, with the National Wheelchair Basketball Association growing to a league of 88 teams across three divisions.

“The technology of the game has changed a lot,” said Green. He explained that players originally used regular wheelchairs. Over time, players started using chairs with additional tilt—called camber—to improve the turn velocity and stability. A fifth wheel was added in the back. Now, players at all levels use chairs specifically designed for this sport, and many elite athletes order chairs customized for their individual bodies and abilities. Players customize the wheel size, specify the seat height, and choose between aluminum and titanium frames, among other options.

According to the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, the sport originated in 1948 with World War II Veterans, primarily paraplegics and spinal cord injuries. In 1960, it earned a spot in the Rome Paralympic Games, and today, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation estimates that approximately 100,000 people around the world play wheelchair basketball for recreation or in competition.

Despite his active participation in a wide variety of adaptive sports and competitions, the Warrior Games captured Green’s attention after he saw a WTC video.

“The Warrior Games are a different dynamic, more exclusive,” said Green. “Getting selected was a challenge, plus there’s the opportunity to contribute to the Army team. The other competitions are focused on the individual, and knowing that my performance impacts the other Army athletes is a cool feeling. I feel like a Soldier, a member of a unit again.”

Green sees adaptive sports as a key element to his continuous recovery over the last 26 years. He credits it with helping him push his physical limits and emotionally, regaining the confidence to stretch his abilities in all walks of life. Sports also introduced him to a broader community of people with similar physical challenges.

“Being around other injured people helped me not feel alone,” he explained. “You talk to other guys with similar injuries and share little tricks about how to thrive.”

Overall, adaptive sports helped Green understand that he was still the same person he was before his injury. “It gave me my identity back,” he beamed. “When you roll out on the court, you’re just an athlete playing a sport.”

Watch Green and the rest of the Army wheelchair basketball team defend the 2012 gold in the Warrior Games Gold Medal Game Wednesday, May 15 on ESPN at 6:30 pm EST.

By Sarah Bartnick, WTC Stratcom
Army Veteran J.R. Salzman has never been one to watch from the sidelines. Inspired by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard. During his deployments, he served on patrol missions and convoy escort teams, among the most dangerous assignments in Iraq. He competed as a professional log-roller and won eight world titles from 1998 to 2010.

Covering the 2012 Warrior Games as a reporter inspired Army Veteran J.R. Salzman to compete for a spot on the 2013 Army team. The eight-time log-rolling world champion, pictured here at a Tough Mudder event, will go for gold in cycling and track in his Warrior Games debut. (Photo courtesy of J.R. Salzman)

On December 19, 2006, his unit was scouting for Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) when his HUMVEE was struck by an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP). Salzman lost his right arm below the elbow and sustained severe damage to his left hand and a traumatic brain injury. But even these injuries didn’t stop him from earning his seventh and eight world log-rolling titles, blogging about wounded warrior and military issues, or becoming a freelance journalist.

He’s a participant in life, not a watcher. That’s why he wasn’t satisfied with his role as a reporter at the 2012 Warrior Games. I met him when he covered the Warrior Transition Command press conference, and I could see it in his eyes. The itch, the frustration, the desire to get out and show all the other wounded, ill or injured athletes that he could outperform each of them. But more importantly, he found the community of “wounded warriors” he’d missed since he left the Army, a community that understands and embraces one another. A community that celebrates abilities and accomplishments just as much as winning gold.

Here’s what he wrote about his 2012 Warrior Games experience on his personal blog:

As a fellow wounded warrior at the games, I found myself with the unfamiliar feeling of comfort in my surroundings. It was a feeling I had not felt since I was a recovering patient at Walter Reed in 2007. Despite the fact I was at the games as a civilian journalist, and was surrounded by many who had injuries far more severe, I heard “thank you for your service” more times during my one-week stay than in my last six months in the civilian world. At the Warrior Games, people get it. They did not ask a million questions, some bordering on the absurd or obtuse. They did not debate you on the merits of the war, or apologize for what happened to you because you had to go “over there.”

Staff Sgt. Robert Iem, Warrior Transition Battalion Cadre Staff (left) and Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness-Performance Enhancement Specialist Kelly O’Brien (right) check in with Sgt. Delvin Maston after the team’s practice at the Iron Horse Pool on Fort Carson, Colo. on May 7, 2013. (Photo by U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command).

After months of training and tryouts, a full day of rest, and experiencing a small piece of Colorado Springs, seven Soldiers from the U.S. Army swim team spent three early-morning hours swimming laps and perfecting their form at the Iron Horse Pool at Fort Carson, Colo.

The Army team, a dynamic mix of Soldiers and Veterans, certainly has the talent and confidence to win gold. “We’ve got a really good team of athletes and swimmers… they are a lot of fun,” said Coach Bob Bugg.

A swim instructor from Georgia, Bugg was introduced to the Warrior Games this year when a previous student – and coach for a Marine Corp Warrior Games team – recommended him. He committed to the team after a few swim camps, and along with the team’s resilience coach and Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) Cadre, provides a tremendous amount of support to the team, while encouraging them to train hard. Other supporters in attendance for practice events included a WTB Commander, an Occupational Therapist from Fort Knox, Ky. and a handful of Fort Carson’s active duty Soldiers and Family members.

Army Swim Coach Bob Bugg helps Spc. Alaina Barnes perfect her form during practice at the Iron Horse Pool on Fort Carson, Colo. on May 7, 2013. (Photo by U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command).

The Army Swim team will continue to train throughout the week in preparation for the start of the Games on Saturday, May 11, 2013. And when they are not in the pool, they are training to compete in other Warrior Games sports.

Sgt. Delvin Maston, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is no stranger to the Warrior Games, though this year is most important; he’s taking his competitive spirit from the gym floor to the pool. “I’m most excited to swim this year,” he said, adding that it has only been about six months since he learned to swim after his 2009 injury. He also plans to win more gold medals in the Wheelchair Basketball and Sitting Volleyball events.

Fellow Infantryman Spc. Quinton Picone decided to end practice on a lighter note when he pulled himself up the stairs of the higher of the two diving boards and jumped in the pool surrounded by his teammates and coaching staff. “I just wanted to do it for fun,” he said “but tomorrow, I am going to do a backflip!”

Spc. Quinton Picone dives into the pool “for fun” after three grueling hours of practice at the Iron Horse Pool on Fort Carson, Colo. on May 7, 2013. (Photo by U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command).

Bugg has taken quick to the courage and determination that is the warriors’ spirit and has the upmost confidence in each of his Swimmers. “They will race, and they will win!”

The Swimming events will take place on the morning of Friday, May 16, 2013 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Warrior Games bring together wounded, ill, or injured service members in a sporting competition hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Competition continues throughout the week with archery, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and track and field.

To learn more about the Warrior Games or the Army athletes, visit the Warrior Transition Command at www.WTC.army.mil.