Special Operations Veteran Prepares for 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando

Photo By Staff Sgt. Mark Shrewsbury | Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Sualauvi “Sua” Tuimalealifano, a member of U.S. Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Military Adaptive Sports Program (MASP), competes at the 2015 Warrior Games aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Sua is scheduled to compete in the 2016 Invictus Games and is one of 16 SOCOM athletes who will join the U.S. team, which includes the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as they compete in adaptive sport competitions against athletes from 14 countries from May 8-12 in Orlando. Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Shrewsbury  

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES

04.22.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Shrewsbury 

U.S. Special Operations Command

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Sualauvi “Sua” Tuimalealifano, a member of U.S. Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Military Adaptive Sports Program (MASP), continues to progress beyond what medical professionals thought possible as he trains for the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.

Sua served 13 years of his military career as an Airborne paratrooper, and later a jumpmaster at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before injuries suffered in Afghanistan in 2007 left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Throughout the years, Sua has worked to recover any movement and sensation possible – now, with limited movement, he is able to compete in shot put and discus during the Invictus Games.

Sua is one of 16 SOCOM athletes who will join the U.S. team, which includes the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as they compete in adaptive sport competitions against athletes from 14 countries from May 8-12. Sua explains how competing in events such as Invictus helps his outlook on the future.

“The spinal cord injury has taken a toll of destruction on my body and mind,” said Sua. “It (Invictus) puts you in the middle of unknown territory, making you realize there is still more out there and still more to be discovered and be a part of.”

Sua continues to look ahead, as he is also competing in the 2016 Warrior Games, where SOF wounded, ill and injured will compete against adaptive sports athletes from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

“Joining with other veterans allows us to accomplish greater things together as a family,” said Sua. “With this injury, I am always finding ways to get better, awaken more nerves, strengthen the muscles in me that have gone limp and continue recovering in whichever new ways possible.”

USSOCOM staff members who would like to support the U.S. Team during the Orlando Invictus competitions can visit the Game’s schedule of events at:

http://invictusgames2016.org/invictus-games-2016-schedule/

For more information on the MASP or SOCOM’s Warrior Games team visit: http://www.socom.mil/Care%20Coalition/WWARP.aspx

You can also follow USSOCOM’s Care Coalition on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/USSOCOM-Care-Coalition/263764274552?ref=ts

• Date Taken: 04.22.2016
• Date Posted: 04.22.2016 15:01
• Story ID: 196271
• Location: TAMPA, FL, US