During an exercise in the Philippine Sea
Marines and sailors navigate a combat rubber raiding craft after launching from the USS Ashland during an exercise in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 24, 2021.
Photo By: Marine Corps Sgt. Danny Gonzalez
Courtesy: US Department of Defense
| By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. American Forces Press Service LONDON, Sept. 9, 2012 - Many U.S. Paralympic athletes have persevered through tough circumstances and refused to give up after acquiring a disability.
"Five years ago, I had a stroke," Peace said. "My right side was paralyzed, and I had to do something to keep in shape, being in the military." Peace was 24 years old when he suffered the debilitating stroke at his San Diego home. He was not discovered for 14 hours, and as a result, he experienced loss of strength in his right arm and leg. "I spent 16 years in the military," he said. "I had planned on making it my career. And then the stroke [happened]. They kept me as long as they could – two more years." After he left the Navy, Peace picked up cycling after learning about the sport during rehabilitation at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego. The former lieutenant commander learned of Operation Rebound, a program designed for injured veterans, and took up the sport. The U.S. Naval Academy graduate spent five years in Japan during his 16-year Navy career, which also took him to San Diego; Norfolk, Va.; Annapolis, Md.; and Monterey, Calif. The Navy veteran said he faced many challenges as he committed to cycling. "I had some difficulty with my bike," Peace said. "[Since] my right side is not used, I had to find a way to shift all of the controls." Because he doesn't have the use of his right side, the cyclist added, he has to ride off-balance. "Two years ago, I wouldn't have been able to ride this course," he said. "But I slowly built up to it. I put on different things on my bike, and I pretty much said I could ride it." Peace offered his advice to other wounded warriors and veterans who may find themselves doubting their abilities because of illness or injury. "Don't ever give up," he said. "You never know how good you are until you get out there and you try to do it." Peace described his time at the 2012 Paralympic Games as an "unbelievable" experience. "I never thought I would have the opportunity to represent my country like this," Peace said. "It's great, and I love the USA." | ||
| Related Sites: U.S. Paralympics Special Report: Military Paralympians |
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| Photo Courtesy: Marines Magazine |
| U.S. Paralympics U.S. Olympic Committee Special Report: 2011 Warrior Games Special Report: 2010 Warrior Games |
They battled their way through freezing temperatures and slippery roads, persevering in the midst of extreme pain, and even stopped to help each other along the way. Suffering from two torn rotator cuffs, Army Sgt. Monica Southall had never used a handcycle before arriving at the Warrior Games a few days ago, but she didn't let that keep her from the race. At one point, the pain became too much to bear and she wanted to stop, but as she said, "Soldiers don't quit, and I wasn't going to quit." Help, in the form of Army Warrant Officer 1 Johnathan Holsey and Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Will Wilson, arrived just when Southall needed it most. Both men are leg amputees, and Wilson was talking Holsey through their upright cycling race when they passed Southall about two miles from the finish line and noticed her struggling. Any thoughts of winning in their own competition instantly disappeared. "When we came by her, she was having a hard time going around, and the Navy master chief [and I], we were coming through," Holsey said after the race. "He kind of helped me on. He was saying, 'Stay with me. Stay with me.' And when we saw Monica, we were like, 'You know what? We're going to take her in.'" Holsey added, "We said we weren't going to leave her and we stayed with her the whole time, because we're all here together. You never leave your comrade behind. Never. When we saw her coming up by herself, we said we were going to stay with her and we pushed her along. She had the wheel. "We just had to be there with her, he continued. "We just came through together. It's never about the race; it's about the camaraderie and being there for each other." Although the three were competing in individual events and are in different services, they were really one team, Holsey said, bound not only by their military service, but also by their experiences as wounded and injured servicemembers. They share something no one else could understand. Southall inspired and helped Holsey as well. Seeing her perseverance pushed all thoughts of pain, cold and falling off his bike to the side, he said. That's the best thing about the Warrior Games, he added: the inspiration, strength and power wounded warriors can get from being around each other. "This is the reason we came here, and this is the reason I'll do it every year," he said. "Any time they invite me back, I'll be more than happy to come." In the end, Holsey and Wilson tied for last place in their category, and Southall finished last in hers, but that didn't matter. They crossed the finish line together, as a team, to a crowd that cheered just as loudly for them as for the gold-medal winners. "It was great [to finish], seeing everybody standing there waiting for me and cheering me on," Southall said with tears rolling down her face. "You just can't describe a moment like that. It was very inspiring." (Issued on:May 14, 2010) Photo detail: Left to right: Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Will Wilson, Army Sgt. Monica Southall and Army Warrant Officer 1 Johnathan Holsey approach the finish line May 13, 2010, after a grueling Warrior Games cycling competition at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. After noticing Southall struggling to finish, Wilson and Holsey abandoned their race and remained with her to help her finish. U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth M. Collins |
| Related Sites: Special Report: Warrior Games Warrior Games on Facebook |
Price, who remained in the Army after losing his right leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq, is a cadre member at the warrior transition battalion at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He was given the honor because he made sure other soldiers had the opportunity to compete as well. "I helped out quite a bit [with] other posts that don't have the training materials or for people to ... get them out and do their training at my post," he explained. "I just took the initiative [and] took over the BAMC part of it for the Warrior Games [to], get these guys to come in and start doing it at Fort Sam Houston. "I was actually very surprised," he continued. "I didn't even expect [to carry the torch]." He was happy to do it, though, especially because sports helped to keep him in the military. In fact, one of the reasons he decided to stay in the Army after losing his leg was to show other soldiers that they could, too. "I'm walking, living proof of that," he said. "I'm out there. I made a difference. I'm out doing the right thing, being better. The importance of having an event like this is it gives all these wounded and injured or sick servicemembers out here ... that sitting back in your room playing X-box, that's not what your life is about. There are other things you can go do, more things you can go out and do. There are a lot of sports activities. You can intermingle with your community again. Life doesn't come to an end just because you're sick or you're injured." Price didn't even make allowances for his injuries while training for the Warrior Games. Nothing, he said, could slow him down. He plans to compete in three sports: archery, which he took up after his injury three years ago; 10-meter prone shooting, because he's always loved to shoot; and sitting volleyball, which is a lot harder than it sounds, Price said, explaining that it requires a lot of core strength. "You've got to have some strong abs, some strong arms to move around," he said. Bearing the torch and taking part in the history-making competition isn't all fun and games to Price, however. Equally important, he said, are the friends and comrades who can't be there to cheer him on. "It felt great," he said, "but at the same time, you have happiness and joy, but you've also got the sorrow part that goes inside the back of your head when you're sitting there going, 'I've lost a bunch of friends. A bunch of people aren't here to see this, to experience this." |
| Related Sites: Special Report: Warrior Games Warrior Games on Facebook Warrior Games Schedule of Events |
