Courtesy Photo | (Photo courtesy David Ware) Coach David Ware is working with Soldiers at the range at...... read more read more
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FALLS CHURCH, Va.— As we continue our series, ‘Where are they now?’ we catch up with Team Army member Sgt. 1st Class David Ware. The medically retired infantryman and human intelligence collector is known for his archery skills on Team Army in 2022. After a motorcycle wreck in 2013, Ware eventually ended up at the Fort Liberty Soldier Recovery Unit. There, he discovered adaptive sports and turned a family hobby into a competitive sport to help him recover.
“I grew up hunting with my dad and uncle, and that’s how archery started. Years later, and after I got hurt, the movie Hunger Games came out, and my daughter wanted to be like the character Katniss Everdeen; I imagine a lot of little girls did at the time, so she got me back into it, at least on the hunting side. I started getting to the target side and competing when I met Lee Whitford, who worked at the Fort Liberty SRU.”
Whitford and other coaches with Team Army watched Ware go through the recovery process and grow his interest in being on Team Army, which he was selected for in 2022. Ware is still connected to Team Army today, but now as an archery coach. “I really enjoyed being on Team Army. Now that I am coaching, I am happy if I reach one person every year through archery. “
Ware’s twenty-two years on active duty and his time in the SRU gave him the license to share with Soldiers today the importance of the SRU and offered activities like archery. “When you leave the Army, the Army doesn’t stop, nor should you. Archery was my outlet, and it continues to help my recovery,” said Ware, who broke his right leg and destroyed his left shoulder in that motorcycle wreck.
Today, he and his wife, Emily, also an Army Veteran, volunteer with Veterans and first responders in the Fayetteville area. Emily sees firsthand how a sport like archery helps in recovery. “I can almost compare it to a monk creating an intricate sand mandala. It took a lot of time, patience, and what seemed like tedious work for Dave to get to this point. But Dave found a patience I didn’t entirely know he had and created something extraordinary. I like that comparison because when Dave is shooting archery, he has a moment of complete calm and mindfulness,” said Emily.
Ware shares that calmness with any Soldier or Veteran he can coach. “For me, when the string is pulled back, and I'm behind the string, there is nothing in the world except for what's in between that site and what's in front of you. It’s pretty relaxing.”
There is a skill developed amid the relaxing sport. Ware’s skill just earned him a pretty high honor in archery. “I was just ranked 23rd in the nation in archery. It wasn’t my goal to get ranked, but it happened—I compete a lot. For this ranking, it's USA archery outdoor- it's fifty meters that you are standing away from the target. You have to have a minimum of two qualifying events a year. Then they come up with a mathematical equation with your scores, and that’s how they rank,” said Ware, whose standing is out of the top 100 archers.
Ware is gearing up for a new year of competition for himself and is coaching Team Army in archery for the upcoming Army Trials and Warrior Games. He gives solid advice to any Soldier learning about his journey to the SRU and knows he is “aiming” them in the right direction. “If you are looking at going to an SRU, many programs are offered, from golf to horseback riding to archery—see what works for you. Just know that when you're gone, the Army continues to move, and you have to continue to move, so go check it out. You may find your new why—the reason you get up in the morning. You don’t know until you go.”
Family members like Emily see the results of the opportunities at the SRU while in recovery and post-SRU. She says taking the knowledge gained at the SRU into the world is a game changer. “The best part of Dave’s journey is how happy he is when he’s working with an athlete, and he gets the chance to pass that on to another person who is evolving from injured soldier to wherever they want to be.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 09:35 |
| Story ID: | 483216 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Targeting Soldiers with archery, by MaryTherese Griffin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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