Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Loggins | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Angel Gonzalez-Clifton poses with U.S. Army Col. Matthew St....... read more read more
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As injured service men and women, we have a lot to prove
By MaryTherese Griffin, Army Warrior Care and Transition
TAMPA, Fla.-- No one is promised a tomorrow but when you get one after having gone through something traumatic, that bar of life just might get raised. Sgt. 1st Class Angel Gonzalez raises that bar every day while he competes with Team Army at the 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games.
“Competing on team Army this week has been intense! You take the intensity of your own team and add the intensity and rivalry of all of the other services and countries and it can make for a tense environment! But I use it as fuel to push harder,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has been pushing harder since he suffered a stroke in November 2017 at the age of 40. Neurological damage that severely affected his right arm doesn’t stop him from sports competition no matter what. “The hardest part about competing this week has been getting past the physical pain, Your brain keeps telling you to stop because this isn't comfortable, You have to continue to remind yourself that you've trained hard for this moment. I have repeated in my mind a couple of times: "shut up brain! I got this," he added.
He won that battle with his brain and already has some hardware to show. “So far during this competition I have done better than I ever thought possible. I have won silver medals in the 1500m and 800m races (track), and I'm pumped about competing in rowing.” Gonzalez learned to row with his non dominant arm during his recovery at the Fort Carson, Colorado Warrior Transition Battalion. He says it’s been a long road to recovery and difficult training but this week is the banner one. “This has definitely been the silver lining in my injuries! I've gotten to meet people, live experiences and accomplish things that I never thought I was capable of accomplishing. We have a lot to prove, as injured service men and women, both to others, and ourselves,” Gonzalez said.
He wears his incredible improvement like a badge of honor. “Being a part of Team Army has been the biggest validation, to date, that I can still compete and perform at an elite level as long as I maintain a good attitude,” said Gonzalez. “Whenever I feel like I might quit, like the pain is too much, I look to my left and right at the service men and women standing next to me and I use their strength and bravery as fuel. There is no quit in these guys! I am a part of this team. I will not let them down.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2019 17:38 |
| Story ID: | 329143 |
| Location: | TAMPA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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