Photo By Staff Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon | Air Force Col. Laurel “Buff” Burkel hugs a fellow caregiver after receiving an...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.— Joint Base Lewis-McChord played host to the third annual Joint Northwest Regional Warrior C.A.R.E. adaptive sports camp headed by the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program, Aug. 28-31.
More than 100 service members participated in adaptive sports such as seated volleyball, wheelchair basketball, archery, cycling and swimming. The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program works together with the McChord Field chapter and the Army Warrior Transition Battalion at Madigan Army Medical Center.
“We bring in Air Force Wounded Warriors from all over the country, sometimes overseas, and because this is a joint base environment we invited our Army brethren out to be with us this week,” said Nicole Hart, the section leader with the program.
C.A.R.E. is an acronym that stands for Caregiver support, Adaptive and rehabilitative sports, Recovering mentorship and Employment and career readiness, said Hart. “So we do components of those throughout the whole week and wrapped it up with a closing ceremony where we handed out awards for some people who excelled this week.”
The event is an entry-level introduction to programs and sports that are offered at JBLM, as well as other installations and communities throughout the United States.
Keeping active and staying physically healthy is only a small part of the recovery process. Building strong relationships within the Wounded Warrior community helps give injured strive members the strength to keep moving forward.
“The camaraderie of everybody makes you feel like family,” said Jerry Terry, an assistant coach for the Wounded Warrior Air Force team. “When you first get hurt you’re just kind of lost, and you have your own family who supports you, but it’s also nice to meet other people that have gone through the same thing you have and it really helps you be a part of the able body life again.”
The adaptive and rehabilitative sports are designed to introduce wounded service members to activities that will aid in their recovery and promote team work as well as mental and physical wellbeing.
“I was hurt when I was real young, and it just helped me be more involved and be more active and encouraged an active lifestyle,” said Terry, who has been working with the disabled in the Dallas, Texas area and coaching for more than 20 years.
Oftentimes service members who attended a C.A.R.E. event will find themselves competing in trials to qualify for the Invictus Games as well as the Department of Defense’s annual Warrior Games.
“Coming out and supporting one of these events is probably one of the most worthwhile things you’ll ever do,” said Hart. “Seeing when people first arrive at these events, they’re anxious, and they second-guess coming, and then to see them on the last day is such an amazing transformation. They come as strangers and then they leave as a family.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2017 01:27 |
| Story ID: | 247617 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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