Wounded Warriors Compete In Department Of Defense Games

Last updated on Thursday, June 29, 2017

(CHICAGO) - Sailors and Coast Guardsmen with “Team Navy” will join more than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans at the Department of Defense Warrior Games June 30 - July 8 in Chicago, Illinois.

Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs reports that during the nine days, Team Navy will be competing against athletes from the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Special Operations Command in cycling, track and field, shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. Athletes from the United Kingdom and Australia will also compete in this year's Games.

Team Navy includes service members and veterans with upper-body, lower-body, and spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; visual impairment; serious illnesses; and post-traumatic stress. The Games provide another level of healing and recovery for these athletes.

The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors by providing them top-notch non-medical support through Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) - Safe Harbor. All enrollees in NWW are encouraged to make athletics a key component of their recovery efforts. By promoting wounded warrior participation in competitions like the Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal through adaptive sports.

The games provide an opportunity for athletes to grow physically, mentally and spiritually from the sportsmanship and camaraderie gained by representing their respective service teams in a friendly and spirited competition and also provide an opportunity for athletes to showcase their enduring warrior spirit in the presence of their families and grateful nation.

For more information about the 2017 DoD Warrior Games, visit http://www.dodwarriorgames.com/.

Team Navy participants with hometowns listed below:

Lt. Cmdr. Sean Ricks from Mechanicsville, Va.
Lt. Joshua Connell from Clear Lake City, Texas.
Lt. Andrew Hoyle from Fort Mill, S.C.
Lt. Anna Kerry from Miami, Fla.
Lt. Jason Roberts, Auburn, N.Y.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Deike from Traverse City, Mich.
Master Chief Petty Officer Richard Curtis from Orlando, Fla.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Kwang-Ju, South Korea.
Senior Chief Petty Officer Aaron Lyon
Senior Chief Petty Officer Christopher Mathena from Cameron, Mo.
Chief Petty Officer Ron Condrey from Salisbury, N.C.
Chief Petty Officer Javier Rodriguez from Puerto Rico.
Petty Officer 1st Class Andrea Dubus from Federal Heights, Co.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jose Estrada from Houston.
Petty Officer 1st Class Shane Gilley from Victoria, Minn.
Petty Officer 1st Class Adrian "A.J." Mohammed from Oconomowoc, Wis.
Petty Officer 1st Class Juan Pinalez from McAllen, Texas.
Petty Officer 1st Class Pou Pou from American Samoa.
Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Shannon from Morris, Ill.
Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Troha from Shreveport, La.
Petty Officer 1st Class Romulo Urtula from Mountlake Terrance, Wash.
Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos Valerio, El Paso, Texas.
Petty Officer 1st Class Hector Varela from Fabens, Texas.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Angleo Anderson from Atlanta.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Engfer from Ranchester, Wyo.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Roel Espino from Pasadena, Calif.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Emmanuel Gonzalez from Rialto, Calif.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Hamilton from Williamsburg, Va.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mario Ingram from Aliceville, Ala.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Leroy McCullough from Bishopville, S.C.
Petty Officer 2nd Class John Pulido from San Diego.
Petty Officer 2nd Class James Stoddard from Glenwood, N.Y.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alan "A.J." Thomas from Copperas Cove, Texas.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Canich from Upland, Calif.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Mark Eldridge from Grove City, Ohio.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kristen Esget from Beaufort, S.C.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Damion Hedington from Holden, La.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa Klotz from Kearny, N.J.
Seaman Steven Davis from Modesto, Calif.
Seaman Christopher North from Jacksonville, Fla.

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