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The Heart of Volunteering: A Reflection on the Warrior Games
The Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games, which is an annual celebration of the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill, and injured military members, is not just a sports event; it’s a beacon of hope and recovery. For volunteers, it’s also a chance to be a part of something inspiring and amazing. The 2024 Warrior…
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Adaptive sports take your mind off your problems.
FORT LIBERTY, NC., — For a six foot-five infantryman, Staff Sgt. Abel Baez’s pain is just something he dealt with for quite a long time. “I’m infantry… we go by the motto if you got pain drink water – if you still have pain drink more water.” All joking aside, Baez explained how he dealt…
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OS2 Tiffany Clark
OS2 Tiffany Clark joined the military intending to dedicate 20 years of service to her country. She had a tumultuous upbringing and was unhoused at the time of her enlistment. The Navy offered her the security she craved, and she thrived. Around 2016, she tore her ACL, made a full recovery, and returned to duty.…
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HMCM (FMF) Steven “Steve” Flemming
HMCM (FMF) Steve Flemming joined the Navy fresh out of high school. He joked that he joined for the money, but upon reflection, it was more than that. “I look back now, and it was the recruiter himself, whom I have since connected with, and is now a retired MMC. He was pretty direct and…
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MA2 Kyle “Higgy” Higginbotham
MA2 Kyle “Higgy” Higginbotham, is quick with the “dad jokes” during morning muster at Adaptive Sports camps. A native of Leesburg, Fla., he is often in bright spirits around his fellow adaptive-sports athletes. “I give off a persona that I’m okay, but my accident really did affect me. Navy Wounded Warrior helped me take my…
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SOCOM athlete calls Warrior Games ‘life changing’
Editor’s note: These stories were produced by the Department of Defense and published here as part of a partnership with Military Times. For LTC Anthony Smith, being part of Team SOCOM, adaptive sports, and the DoD Warrior Games has been “life-changing.” During his deployment to Iraq in 2010, Smith was injured when a grenade struck…
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SOCOM’s ‘Mr. fix it’ takes challenges head on
Editor’s note: These stories were produced by the Department of Defense and published here as part of a partnership with Military Times. CMSgt (Ret) Louis Orrie medically retired from the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command in 2016 after thirty years of service. During his extensive career, Orrie worked in various roles, from PaveLow and…
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Resiliency defines SOCOM athlete’s journey
Editor’s note: These stories were produced by the Department of Defense and published here as part of a partnership with Military Times. Master Sergeant Ivan Morera serves as an Army Special Forces Medic. He has served in the Army since 2001 and was a part of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. During this deployment,…
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Warrior Games serves as homecoming for SOCOM athlete
Editor’s note: These stories were produced by the Department of Defense and published here as part of a partnership with Military Times. This year’s DoD Warrior Games Challenge will be a homecoming for retired MAJ Erik Lewis. In 2014 Lewis graduated with his Master of Science degree from the San Diego State University Homeland Security…
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Dedication and determination
Editor’s note: These stories were produced by the Department of Defense and published here as part of a partnership with Military Times. Staff Sergeant (Retired) Adam Foutz will compete for the first time in this year’s DoD Warrior Games Challenge. However, Foutz’s story of dedication and determination to accomplish this goal begins in 2015 when,…
