WEBVTT 00:04.150 --> 00:07.039 Don't play , don't play . There you go . 00:08.340 --> 00:11.460 Oh , yeah , training for the Marine 00:11.470 --> 00:14.689 Corps relative . I started in the fall 00:15.010 --> 00:16.954 and it was a lot , but I had to be 00:16.954 --> 00:20.190 dedicated because my goal is to make 00:20.200 --> 00:22.209 the warrior gangs and represent the 00:22.219 --> 00:24.163 Marine Corps team . And the Marine 00:24.163 --> 00:26.330 Corps brought a lot of great things to 00:26.330 --> 00:28.610 me and my family . And , you know , 00:28.620 --> 00:30.731 this is the last thing that I'm gonna 00:30.731 --> 00:32.787 do my room for a career . I wanna go 00:32.787 --> 00:36.220 out with the bank . Um But right now 00:36.229 --> 00:38.229 it's like the short term goal is to 00:38.229 --> 00:40.340 definitely make the Marine Corps team 00:40.340 --> 00:42.451 for the Warrior Games . So that way I 00:42.451 --> 00:44.396 can show up and be like , look , I 00:44.396 --> 00:46.062 survived and I'm still here . 00:51.150 --> 00:52.983 The competitors that we're going 00:52.983 --> 00:55.206 against , we're all in the same fight . 00:55.206 --> 00:57.428 We're all on the same team . You know , 00:57.428 --> 00:59.539 we might have our rivalries on , on , 00:59.539 --> 01:01.889 on the court . But , you know , and 01:01.900 --> 01:04.959 we're all healing . But to represent 01:04.970 --> 01:07.819 the Air Force while we're doing it , 01:08.029 --> 01:10.470 that's a bonus , you know , and I , and 01:10.480 --> 01:13.019 I'm honored to , to be representing the 01:13.029 --> 01:15.196 Air Force at the wound Warrior Games . 01:19.500 --> 01:21.444 Baby . Let's get it . Let's get it 01:22.559 --> 01:24.726 coming to warrior games . It's kind of 01:24.730 --> 01:28.580 making me , I realized all the 01:28.589 --> 01:30.478 other injured people who actually 01:30.478 --> 01:33.080 stayed in . So it's giving me hope and 01:33.089 --> 01:36.970 making me want to stay in . Uh I'm , I 01:36.980 --> 01:39.147 feel like I can do just about anything 01:39.147 --> 01:41.369 that anybody else can now , even though 01:41.369 --> 01:43.591 I'm an amputee . So I think I'm in good 01:43.591 --> 01:46.050 shape so far . So . Oh 01:47.949 --> 01:51.580 no , I am 01:51.589 --> 01:55.370 beyond proud and I feel like to be able 01:55.379 --> 01:58.110 to represent not only the Navy but to 01:58.120 --> 02:01.330 represent moms to represent black women , 02:01.339 --> 02:05.279 to represent at one point aviation , to 02:05.290 --> 02:07.400 represent medical , to represent 02:07.410 --> 02:09.789 administrative rates , to be all of 02:09.800 --> 02:12.949 those representations and say , look 02:12.960 --> 02:16.619 what you can do it . It's 02:16.699 --> 02:19.220 one of the most fulfilling experiences 02:19.229 --> 02:20.229 of my career . 02:39.860 --> 02:40.860 I think 02:43.860 --> 02:44.860 two minutes 02:50.630 --> 02:52.686 when it comes to the Warrior Games , 02:52.686 --> 02:54.852 our service members you know , have to 02:54.852 --> 02:58.770 compete to be a part of that event 02:58.800 --> 03:02.020 while it's a culminating event from 03:02.639 --> 03:05.940 the military Adaptive Sports Program . 03:05.949 --> 03:08.169 For many , the opportunity to 03:08.179 --> 03:10.570 participate in the Warrior Games is a 03:10.580 --> 03:13.440 process and that process includes 03:13.449 --> 03:17.179 having some trials . And so the service 03:17.190 --> 03:20.190 department will host and they will 03:20.199 --> 03:22.360 bring out all of the athletes that 03:22.369 --> 03:25.279 would like to compete and would like to 03:25.289 --> 03:27.490 attend the culminating event of the 03:27.500 --> 03:30.800 Warrior Games . And so the trials will 03:30.809 --> 03:33.270 go on for a few days . And it's not 03:33.279 --> 03:36.360 only just the competition , the trials 03:36.369 --> 03:40.160 involve conditioning , training and 03:40.169 --> 03:43.300 also the competition . It also allows 03:43.309 --> 03:46.050 for those members to come together and 03:46.059 --> 03:48.210 there's a camaraderie that exists and 03:48.220 --> 03:52.039 there is a cheering on of one another 04:20.489 --> 04:21.489 can . 04:31.529 --> 04:33.809 And so it's not a competition like you 04:33.820 --> 04:37.709 see in most events where it's the good 04:37.720 --> 04:40.279 team versus the bad team . This is a , 04:40.350 --> 04:43.700 this is a big team experience and that 04:43.709 --> 04:46.019 they are all trying and they're all 04:46.029 --> 04:49.029 supporting one another and those that 04:49.040 --> 04:51.570 don't make it , they know they may have 04:51.579 --> 04:55.179 another opportunity to do so . And I 04:55.190 --> 04:58.540 think that the whole process going to 04:58.549 --> 05:00.670 the warrior games , it's an amazing 05:00.679 --> 05:03.859 process . It's fun . It's exciting . 05:03.989 --> 05:07.399 And once the trials are concluded and 05:07.410 --> 05:09.750 they've identified those members that 05:09.760 --> 05:12.010 will participate in the games . It's a 05:12.019 --> 05:13.700 big celebration . It's a big 05:13.709 --> 05:15.598 celebration for them . It's a big 05:15.598 --> 05:18.160 celebration for those that also went 05:18.170 --> 05:20.290 out and tried . I think those are the 05:20.299 --> 05:22.410 things that make warrior games , what 05:22.410 --> 05:23.410 they are today , 05:32.850 --> 05:35.429 understand the power of sport , which 05:35.440 --> 05:37.773 we all know what it does for us , right ? 05:37.773 --> 05:39.829 And then of course we talk about the 05:39.829 --> 05:41.940 military , not the sport side of it , 05:41.940 --> 05:44.162 the recovery , the rehabilitation , the 05:44.162 --> 05:46.218 camaraderie , everything that , that 05:46.218 --> 05:48.440 comes together , our relationships that 05:48.440 --> 05:50.496 all happens because we get out there 05:50.496 --> 05:50.119 sweat together and do what we love to 05:50.130 --> 05:52.352 do . And let's get our heart rates up , 05:52.352 --> 05:54.297 get our muscles going , learn from 05:54.297 --> 05:56.519 these fine coaches and you know , drive 05:56.519 --> 05:58.686 towards war games and if warrior games 05:58.686 --> 06:00.686 doesn't make it for you this year . 06:00.686 --> 06:02.852 Well , hey , look , we don't give up . 06:02.852 --> 06:02.700 Right . We just keep coming back to the 06:02.709 --> 06:04.489 program and we keep going . 06:07.709 --> 06:10.000 The Dod Warrior games and warrior games 06:10.010 --> 06:13.549 challenge is a great way for those 06:13.559 --> 06:17.079 folks who may be a little lost . 06:18.059 --> 06:20.115 You know , I use the analogy all the 06:20.115 --> 06:22.281 time . It's for that person that maybe 06:22.281 --> 06:24.226 is laying on the couch and they're 06:24.226 --> 06:26.989 depressed . They may be using alcohol 06:27.000 --> 06:30.029 as a vice to try to help them cope . 06:30.260 --> 06:32.482 This is a great way to get them off the 06:32.482 --> 06:36.149 couch back on a team feeling like 06:36.160 --> 06:37.827 part of something bigger than 06:37.827 --> 06:39.880 themselves . And I have personally 06:39.890 --> 06:42.100 experienced some of the athletes , you 06:42.109 --> 06:44.276 know , pull me to the side and explain 06:44.276 --> 06:46.442 to me , you know , the dark place that 06:46.442 --> 06:49.859 they were in and the effect that the 06:49.869 --> 06:52.170 warrior games had on them personally 06:52.179 --> 06:54.235 and kind of got them out of the funk 06:54.235 --> 06:56.929 that they were in and brought them back 06:56.940 --> 06:59.489 and put them in better head space and 06:59.500 --> 07:02.359 is allowing them to cope again . 07:03.600 --> 07:07.070 So after coming back from deployment , 07:07.640 --> 07:10.029 uh two months after I got into a car 07:10.040 --> 07:12.329 accident , a motor vehicle accident in 07:12.339 --> 07:15.070 Clovis , uh me and my uh coworker 07:15.079 --> 07:18.250 actually , he sustained uh like serious 07:18.260 --> 07:20.690 head trauma and I sustained serious uh 07:20.700 --> 07:23.390 body trauma . I was stabilized at the 07:23.399 --> 07:25.839 nearby hospital in Clovis and they can 07:25.850 --> 07:28.850 only do so much for me there . So they 07:28.859 --> 07:32.119 had to fly me out to the estate over to 07:32.130 --> 07:34.390 a hospital in , in Lubbock . Actually , 07:34.739 --> 07:36.790 that's where I got majority of my 07:36.799 --> 07:38.989 surgeries is very intensive 07:40.089 --> 07:43.779 and I was there for 3.5 07:43.790 --> 07:46.920 weeks in the hospital after 3.5 weeks 07:46.929 --> 07:49.040 there , they couldn't do much with me 07:49.040 --> 07:51.207 there . So they had to actually fly me 07:51.207 --> 07:52.873 out to the VA in Palo Alto in 07:52.873 --> 07:54.985 California . And that's where I got , 07:55.390 --> 07:58.109 um , my physical therapy , my 07:58.119 --> 08:00.320 occupational therapy , just different 08:00.329 --> 08:02.385 type of therapies for the injuries I 08:02.385 --> 08:05.410 had participating in sports helps me 08:05.420 --> 08:08.070 clear my mind , especially when I'm 08:08.079 --> 08:11.779 cycling . Um power lifting because I'm 08:11.790 --> 08:13.790 in the zone that's my world at that 08:13.790 --> 08:16.012 point . So I like the , the , the brain 08:16.012 --> 08:18.380 fog of my injuries . It's , it's , it's 08:18.390 --> 08:21.380 not there . It's , I just look at it as 08:21.390 --> 08:23.557 like as a mission , like my mission at 08:23.557 --> 08:25.668 that time is to enjoy that moment and 08:25.668 --> 08:29.019 push that bar or cycle this mile to get 08:29.029 --> 08:31.600 to the finish line . I do think 08:31.609 --> 08:34.090 adaptive sports can change lives . I 08:34.099 --> 08:36.250 think just by the , the physical and 08:36.260 --> 08:39.090 mental um strengthening , it's , 08:40.309 --> 08:42.253 it's kind of just like , uh you're 08:42.253 --> 08:44.309 basically sharpening your sword when 08:44.309 --> 08:46.365 you , when you , you're doing sports 08:46.365 --> 08:45.929 because you're keeping your body in 08:45.940 --> 08:48.159 shape and you're pushing your mind , 08:48.169 --> 08:50.000 you're practicing resilience 08:53.349 --> 08:54.349 me . 08:58.760 --> 08:59.109 Um 09:04.789 --> 09:08.729 Yeah , so I got hurt on June 29th , 09:08.739 --> 09:12.429 2022 over in 09:12.440 --> 09:15.250 Africa and on my deployment . So I'm a 09:15.260 --> 09:17.590 CV in the navy . What happened was uh I 09:17.599 --> 09:21.150 was welding on a barrier , steel plate 09:21.159 --> 09:23.460 barrier that opens and closes for the 09:23.469 --> 09:27.429 entrance of special operations 09:27.440 --> 09:31.419 camp . We were 09:31.429 --> 09:33.596 kind of rushing because there was only 09:33.596 --> 09:35.580 two gates so it needed to be 09:35.590 --> 09:37.729 operational . We were in a rush . 09:37.739 --> 09:39.850 Unfortunately , that's probably how I 09:39.850 --> 09:41.906 got hurt when I was hand guiding the 09:41.906 --> 09:44.330 steel plate back into place . It 09:44.340 --> 09:46.849 bounced against the wall and £6000 09:46.859 --> 09:49.081 fell off the forklift and bounced on to 09:49.081 --> 09:52.049 my foot . So I immediately got a crush 09:52.059 --> 09:54.219 injury . I went through six different 09:54.229 --> 09:58.159 surgeries , one in Africa , three 09:58.169 --> 10:02.070 in Germany and two at Walter Reed . 10:03.030 --> 10:05.197 I'm up and walking now . So I mean , I 10:05.890 --> 10:08.112 want to say that I'm doing a lot better 10:08.112 --> 10:10.390 than I thought I was going to be doing . 10:10.390 --> 10:12.446 I would definitely say that I have a 10:12.446 --> 10:14.390 stronger sense of purpose since we 10:14.390 --> 10:16.446 started to adapt to sports . It , it 10:16.446 --> 10:18.668 gives me a reason to just wake up every 10:18.668 --> 10:18.330 day . It gives me something to look 10:18.340 --> 10:21.590 forward to . Uh , it makes me feel like 10:21.599 --> 10:23.710 I can still do the same things that I 10:23.710 --> 10:25.929 was doing before . No matter what you 10:25.940 --> 10:28.280 have going on with you , they have , 10:28.289 --> 10:30.570 they have an option for you to where 10:30.580 --> 10:32.469 they can get you going in all the 10:32.469 --> 10:35.330 sports . So me being an ut , let's say 10:35.340 --> 10:37.451 I'm trying to do cycling , right ? So 10:39.530 --> 10:41.830 build you something on a bike . If not , 10:41.840 --> 10:44.062 they'll give you a hand cycle . There's 10:44.062 --> 10:46.390 every option in every sport for 10:46.400 --> 10:50.260 everyone . What I would want my kids to 10:50.270 --> 10:52.326 take out of the experience that I am 10:52.530 --> 10:54.641 going through and still going through 10:54.641 --> 10:56.808 with the Adaptive Sports program would 10:56.808 --> 10:58.863 probably be that you can do anything 10:58.863 --> 11:00.697 that you want to do . You can be 11:00.697 --> 11:02.863 anything that you want to be , but you 11:02.863 --> 11:05.086 just have to decide that you want to do 11:05.086 --> 11:06.974 those . So I'm deciding that even 11:06.974 --> 11:08.863 though I'm an amputee now , I can 11:08.863 --> 11:12.520 either sit around and 11:13.570 --> 11:16.130 have this pity party , like I said , or , 11:16.140 --> 11:18.029 you know , go out and be the best 11:18.029 --> 11:19.918 version of yourself . If not even 11:19.918 --> 11:22.084 better than what you would have been . 11:22.084 --> 11:25.570 Paul . Paul . I got 11:25.580 --> 11:28.359 involved in the warrior care program 11:28.369 --> 11:31.059 after I got back from a inpatient 11:31.070 --> 11:33.700 traumatic brain injury program . Um , 11:34.289 --> 11:37.400 and it became evident that there were 11:37.409 --> 11:40.080 some pretty serious things going on . I 11:40.369 --> 11:44.260 actually was in a TB I program with 11:44.270 --> 11:46.381 one of the individuals that's here as 11:46.381 --> 11:50.059 well at the camp and he had told me 11:50.070 --> 11:52.126 when the warrior games were gonna be 11:52.126 --> 11:53.959 and I went out for a weekend and 11:53.959 --> 11:57.140 watched , um , most of the archery 11:57.150 --> 12:01.130 competition and just sitting around 12:01.340 --> 12:04.679 the socom folks cheering and kind of 12:04.690 --> 12:07.000 realizing I have a lot more in common 12:07.010 --> 12:10.280 with these folks than I do regular 12:10.289 --> 12:14.130 individuals that kind 12:14.140 --> 12:16.580 of pushed me towards seeing what this 12:16.590 --> 12:19.429 was all about to any brothers or 12:19.440 --> 12:22.140 sisters out there that are feeling like 12:22.150 --> 12:24.369 this might not be something for them . 12:24.799 --> 12:26.966 I first of all would just want to tell 12:26.966 --> 12:29.940 them , I think I was in that same place . 12:30.179 --> 12:34.000 I kept thinking , well , I 12:34.010 --> 12:37.030 physically look fine , but there's a 12:37.039 --> 12:39.650 lot going on upstairs that is not so 12:39.659 --> 12:43.169 fine . Um , but the invisible 12:43.179 --> 12:46.119 injuries do count . And this is an 12:46.130 --> 12:48.390 incredible opportunity to really get 12:48.400 --> 12:51.890 some help and become part of a 12:51.900 --> 12:55.729 team that and make some friends get to 12:55.739 --> 12:58.200 know coaches and people that can become 12:58.210 --> 13:00.750 a really great support system . Um , 13:01.210 --> 13:03.669 that may not be something that you're 13:03.679 --> 13:06.599 expecting , but it has been a 13:06.609 --> 13:09.570 tremendous opportunity . Um , if you 13:09.580 --> 13:13.530 have any inclination to come to one 13:13.539 --> 13:15.900 of these camps do it 13:46.960 --> 13:49.309 for my first injury . It was my knee . 13:49.320 --> 13:52.719 I had a running incident back in 2019 13:52.729 --> 13:54.785 and I had popped my knee out for the 13:54.785 --> 13:56.896 first time . And after that , it kind 13:56.896 --> 13:58.896 of went downhill with my job in the 13:58.896 --> 14:00.951 military and I wasn't really able to 14:00.951 --> 14:02.951 recover . So I had a knee surgery , 14:02.951 --> 14:05.173 well , about three months into the knee 14:05.173 --> 14:07.229 surgery after it had failed and they 14:07.229 --> 14:09.451 were like , you're gonna have to get it 14:09.451 --> 14:11.451 done again . And so with that , I'm 14:11.451 --> 14:13.618 still actually recovering from my knee 14:13.618 --> 14:15.840 because funny enough last event , I did 14:15.840 --> 14:18.062 dislocate my knee and had to start from 14:18.062 --> 14:20.118 square one , but we're getting at it 14:20.118 --> 14:22.118 and my other ptsd back in 2019 , my 14:22.118 --> 14:24.340 first year in the military , I was in a 14:24.340 --> 14:26.625 domestic , abusive marriage and I was 14:26.635 --> 14:30.594 in that for about 3 to 4 months before 14:30.604 --> 14:33.304 I finally had got out . And I feel like 14:33.315 --> 14:36.034 after that being a first time airman 14:36.044 --> 14:39.369 and having really no friends or family 14:39.380 --> 14:41.547 around at 19 years old . It was really 14:41.547 --> 14:43.769 rough for me going through something so 14:43.769 --> 14:45.824 terrible . And thankfully I had this 14:45.824 --> 14:48.549 program to realize it could always be 14:48.559 --> 14:51.010 worse . And you have people here , I 14:51.020 --> 14:52.964 talk to these people and it's like 14:52.964 --> 14:55.076 they're so grateful for the life they 14:55.076 --> 14:57.270 live and they have , it have had it 14:57.280 --> 14:59.391 maybe be far worse than you even just 14:59.391 --> 15:01.502 as much as me . And it's like if they 15:01.502 --> 15:03.669 can , I'll do the pain . Like , why am 15:03.669 --> 15:05.836 I being so ungrateful for the life ? I 15:05.836 --> 15:07.780 lived so adaptive sports is really 15:07.780 --> 15:09.947 helpful in my recovery process because 15:09.947 --> 15:09.869 I'm able to compete again . And I feel 15:09.880 --> 15:12.440 like with my personality being 15:12.450 --> 15:14.770 competitive and being on a team helps 15:14.780 --> 15:16.780 with my mental health a lot , being 15:16.780 --> 15:18.950 part of a team and a group again and 15:18.960 --> 15:21.039 just being able to go out there and 15:21.049 --> 15:23.270 kick butt and win as a group is like 15:23.280 --> 15:24.613 the best feeling ever . 15:26.840 --> 15:30.309 So , in 2016 , I was 15:30.320 --> 15:32.679 stationed at Courtland Air Force Base 15:32.690 --> 15:35.479 in Albuquerque , New Mexico . I was 15:35.489 --> 15:37.600 riding dirt bikes up in the mountains 15:37.600 --> 15:41.190 with a friend of mine and started 15:41.200 --> 15:44.049 getting dizzy , nauseous , had a 15:44.059 --> 15:47.390 headache . I thought it was just from 15:47.400 --> 15:50.739 the elevation and it kept going on , 15:50.750 --> 15:54.159 turns out end up having a ruptured 15:54.169 --> 15:57.080 brain , aneurysm of the right vertebral 15:57.090 --> 16:00.169 artery , which just kept pumping blood 16:00.179 --> 16:03.530 into my skull and eventually down my 16:03.539 --> 16:05.950 spinal came out . I 16:07.409 --> 16:10.909 rushed to the , er , and ended 16:10.919 --> 16:13.590 up , uh , collapsing in the parking lot . 16:14.119 --> 16:16.341 I can still use environmental things to 16:16.341 --> 16:18.780 kind of hold me up . But it , it just 16:18.789 --> 16:20.956 takes a lot out of me . It , it really 16:21.900 --> 16:23.789 puts a lot of pressure on my back 16:23.789 --> 16:26.122 because that's why I'm using most of my , 16:26.122 --> 16:28.289 my muscle , my core to keep me upright 16:28.289 --> 16:30.178 and then of course , my arm so it 16:30.178 --> 16:32.122 affects the joints and my elbows , 16:32.122 --> 16:34.289 shoulders and stuff like that . And so 16:34.289 --> 16:36.456 eventually the doc said I'll be in the 16:36.456 --> 16:39.599 chair permanently . And so that's 16:39.609 --> 16:41.665 pretty much where I'm at right now , 16:49.489 --> 16:51.822 seeing him like that where we are today . 16:51.822 --> 16:54.100 It hasn't been an easy , easy one . Um , 16:54.400 --> 16:56.599 I know we are labeled caregivers but , 16:56.609 --> 16:58.498 you know , I'm just , I'm my wife 16:58.498 --> 17:00.960 taking care of her husband and , um , I 17:01.409 --> 17:03.631 feel that's what we're supposed to do , 17:03.631 --> 17:05.930 but the journey of a caregiver isn't 17:05.939 --> 17:08.520 always , always easy . A lot of times , 17:09.050 --> 17:11.599 you know , we get overlooked in essence , 17:11.609 --> 17:13.831 because of course , everybody wants the 17:13.831 --> 17:15.887 person who is injured to have a full 17:15.887 --> 17:17.998 and healthy life and back to recovery 17:17.998 --> 17:19.998 and caregivers are , are back there 17:19.998 --> 17:22.329 supporting them and , and I would do it 17:22.339 --> 17:24.660 again and again . Um , but , but it is , 17:24.670 --> 17:26.892 it is hard , you know , once he started 17:26.892 --> 17:28.948 recovering and then doing well and , 17:28.948 --> 17:31.489 you know , everything was going well , 17:31.500 --> 17:34.660 you know , somewhat . Ok . We were 17:34.670 --> 17:36.781 introduced to the F W-2 program and I 17:36.781 --> 17:39.739 think that's really where our journey 17:39.750 --> 17:42.449 to even further recovery and resiliency 17:42.459 --> 17:46.420 and even helping us navigate through 17:46.430 --> 17:48.890 his injury . What I was going through 17:48.900 --> 17:51.020 and our marriage in a new situation 17:51.030 --> 17:53.141 that we had never , you know , we had 17:53.141 --> 17:56.770 never seen coming before the F W-2 17:56.780 --> 17:58.724 program really put everything into 17:58.724 --> 18:00.558 perspective and help us navigate 18:00.558 --> 18:02.739 through that and , and I , I know , I 18:02.750 --> 18:04.910 know caregivers , especially this one 18:05.060 --> 18:07.116 has to deal with a lot because I'm a 18:07.116 --> 18:10.800 handful even before the , the injuries . 18:10.819 --> 18:13.800 Uh my mom can attest to that too and my 18:13.810 --> 18:17.709 dad , but it's even more of a 18:17.719 --> 18:20.060 of a handful being in this condition . 18:20.430 --> 18:22.541 So they do a lot . And so when they , 18:22.541 --> 18:25.270 we come to these care events because 18:25.280 --> 18:27.449 usually I depend on her so much in our 18:27.459 --> 18:30.780 day to day lives , she can go . But 18:30.790 --> 18:33.849 when I come here , I not only have the 18:33.859 --> 18:36.680 staff but I have my previous teammates 18:36.689 --> 18:38.856 and all the connections that I've made 18:38.856 --> 18:40.745 through airports with the Warrior 18:40.745 --> 18:42.745 program . So I always have somebody 18:42.745 --> 18:44.856 here that I can lean on . And so when 18:44.856 --> 18:46.967 Joey is away , just like last night , 18:46.967 --> 18:49.022 you know , I'm , I'm outside with JJ 18:49.022 --> 18:51.078 and I feel safe , I feel comfortable 18:51.078 --> 18:52.856 and I know that you got my back 18:52.856 --> 18:54.578 competing at the Warrior Games 18:54.578 --> 18:56.745 competing and victor it showed me that 18:57.010 --> 18:58.954 I can still get back into my other 18:58.954 --> 19:02.380 sports just in an adaptive manner . So 19:02.390 --> 19:04.446 things that I , that I never thought 19:04.446 --> 19:06.557 I'd be able to do after these , these 19:06.557 --> 19:09.469 injuries , I'm finding that I can go on . 19:09.479 --> 19:11.423 I just have to sit there and think 19:11.423 --> 19:13.989 about how can I , how can I adapt , 19:14.619 --> 19:16.750 find an adaptive way to do it ? And , 19:16.760 --> 19:20.339 and that's opened my eyes to , 19:21.930 --> 19:24.890 to being able to do pretty much 19:25.829 --> 19:28.051 almost all the sports that I used to do 19:28.359 --> 19:30.540 and , and , and that's really kept me 19:30.550 --> 19:34.020 going . Kept me , kept me above 19:34.030 --> 19:37.750 ground . Thank you , 19:37.760 --> 19:38.760 Chief David . 19:54.719 --> 19:56.941 Well , this is the first time we've had 19:56.941 --> 20:00.109 consolidated trials since 2020 . So 20:00.119 --> 20:03.180 exercises , medicine is , we are a firm 20:03.189 --> 20:07.030 believer in and also team competitions 20:07.040 --> 20:10.680 are critical . A lot of these 20:10.689 --> 20:13.979 marines are going to have their careers 20:13.989 --> 20:16.650 cut short . And so they're trying to 20:16.660 --> 20:19.800 figure out what is next and allowing 20:19.810 --> 20:22.020 them to represent the Marine Corps , 20:22.030 --> 20:25.630 even in trials to put on the E G for 20:25.640 --> 20:27.890 the cops , you know , gives them a 20:27.900 --> 20:30.689 great sense of purpose . And then we 20:30.699 --> 20:33.145 also bring in some veterans and some 20:33.155 --> 20:35.185 mentors who have been through the 20:35.194 --> 20:37.250 process . Some of them are two years 20:37.250 --> 20:39.361 out , some of them are 10 years out . 20:40.204 --> 20:42.704 But we want to share that knowledge 20:42.714 --> 20:44.744 passed down from the previous 20:44.755 --> 20:46.984 generation to this new generation to 20:46.994 --> 20:49.275 show them they can be successful in 20:49.285 --> 20:51.507 their civilian life post Marine Corps . 20:57.560 --> 21:00.369 I'll tell you the activities in the 21:00.380 --> 21:03.640 adaptive sport that demand so much of 21:03.650 --> 21:07.010 us mentally and physically can be very 21:07.020 --> 21:10.180 therapeutic because we get to get lost 21:10.189 --> 21:13.020 in that moment and it teaches us really 21:13.030 --> 21:15.750 to come back to being in the moment . 21:16.349 --> 21:20.250 For me , it's , it's about finding ways 21:20.260 --> 21:23.489 to be grateful and to celebrate what I 21:23.500 --> 21:26.689 do have going for me and what , what is 21:26.699 --> 21:30.000 still working well , you know , I , 21:30.010 --> 21:33.089 I've had a heck of a career with the 21:33.099 --> 21:35.043 Marine Corps . I'm coming up on 16 21:35.043 --> 21:37.119 years . I've been on five different 21:37.130 --> 21:38.963 continents and I've served in 35 21:38.963 --> 21:41.540 different countries in that adventure . 21:41.550 --> 21:45.449 I ended up developing a 21:45.459 --> 21:48.180 really rare cancer called cancer . 21:48.569 --> 21:51.880 And my life got put on hold . I 21:51.890 --> 21:53.834 apparently had cancer for about 10 21:53.834 --> 21:55.834 years before they caught it because 21:55.834 --> 21:58.112 it's an incredibly slow growing cancer . 21:58.112 --> 22:00.334 So I was dealing with some symptoms for 22:00.334 --> 22:02.390 about two thirds of my career . Once 22:02.390 --> 22:04.446 all of that comes to the surface and 22:04.446 --> 22:04.310 you have to put your life on hold to 22:04.319 --> 22:06.263 fight a different kind of battle , 22:06.263 --> 22:09.790 having a place to be able to 22:09.890 --> 22:12.079 throw yourself into something to just 22:12.650 --> 22:16.400 kind of get in your Zen and find the 22:16.410 --> 22:19.569 peace and find the gratefulness and 22:20.160 --> 22:22.359 then push myself to train to the next 22:22.369 --> 22:24.536 level because I have to be in the best 22:24.536 --> 22:26.758 physical fitness I could possibly be in 22:26.758 --> 22:28.036 to fight my main fight 22:31.589 --> 22:32.922 because if your life is 22:37.250 --> 22:39.449 so in August 2021 while on recruiting 22:39.459 --> 22:42.660 duty , um I contracted COVID 22:42.689 --> 22:44.745 while , you know , I , I'm trying to 22:44.745 --> 22:46.911 recover at home . Uh It was discovered 22:46.911 --> 22:49.133 I could not breathe . I had a very very 22:49.133 --> 22:50.967 hard time to breathe . There was 22:50.967 --> 22:54.000 nothing , no home remedies of any sort 22:54.010 --> 22:57.479 that was um available to help me to 22:57.489 --> 22:59.711 breathe . Um So finally my husband took 22:59.711 --> 23:03.079 me to the emergency room . Um and it 23:03.089 --> 23:06.209 was discovered that my oxygen level of 23:06.219 --> 23:08.069 just sitting in a chair was at a 23:08.770 --> 23:12.770 70 79 and they said 23:12.780 --> 23:15.189 no , she's , she has to stay , we have 23:15.199 --> 23:19.040 to get her better . Um moving around 23:19.050 --> 23:21.219 even just utilize the bathroom , my 23:21.229 --> 23:23.396 oxygen level would drop to a sixties . 23:24.130 --> 23:26.297 So I was , I was in pretty bad shape . 23:26.510 --> 23:29.540 Um I spent a month in the hospital 23:29.719 --> 23:33.150 somehow some way it was on the men's . 23:33.160 --> 23:36.739 Um I left the hospital in the 23:36.849 --> 23:40.729 middle of September 2021 . Uh 23:41.489 --> 23:43.489 I never knew how bad that I was . I 23:43.489 --> 23:46.579 knew it was bad but not as bad . Um 23:47.369 --> 23:49.591 I was finally able to see my Children . 23:49.591 --> 23:52.300 I was finally able to see my husband um 23:52.310 --> 23:54.532 at my very first doctor's appointment , 23:54.532 --> 23:56.754 they got me on the scale and I had lost 23:56.754 --> 23:56.569 £22 . 24:04.010 --> 24:08.000 I feel that adaptive sports definitely 24:08.010 --> 24:11.469 changes lives . It for someone that may 24:11.479 --> 24:13.701 be feeling like they have no goals left 24:13.701 --> 24:16.209 in life . This is a goal and it's a 24:16.219 --> 24:19.699 positive goal with positive people . Um 24:19.709 --> 24:22.040 Adaptive sports gives them hope . Being 24:22.050 --> 24:23.883 in adaptive sports gives them an 24:23.883 --> 24:25.160 opportunity to 24:28.300 --> 24:31.459 live their best lives . What 24:33.209 --> 24:36.949 be you 24:38.569 --> 24:42.010 April ? Uh 1st 2021 I 24:42.020 --> 24:44.242 suffered an injury from a gunshot wound 24:44.242 --> 24:46.969 to my mortal artery and , uh , it was 24:46.979 --> 24:49.510 here domestic . So it was a state side 24:49.520 --> 24:52.209 in the US . So , uh , after countless 24:52.219 --> 24:54.386 scale surgeries , they had to amputate 24:54.386 --> 24:56.441 my leg , uh , because it wasn't , no 24:56.449 --> 24:58.560 blood wasn't flowing back and forth . 24:58.790 --> 25:00.957 Well , at that day I became an amputee 25:00.957 --> 25:03.839 and my life pretty much changed after , 25:03.849 --> 25:05.960 uh , like a few weeks of being in the 25:05.960 --> 25:09.119 hospital , I got out , I had a decent 25:09.130 --> 25:11.390 amount of uh support . I end up getting 25:11.400 --> 25:13.122 prosthetic . I started playing 25:13.122 --> 25:14.844 wheelchair basketball and then 25:14.844 --> 25:16.900 everything else changed from there . 25:18.650 --> 25:20.706 So I was a logistics manager for the 25:20.706 --> 25:22.706 hope and care center on one word it 25:22.706 --> 25:25.270 talent needs . And uh my job pretty 25:25.280 --> 25:27.770 much entail transporting a wounded , 25:27.780 --> 25:29.819 injured or ill marines to their 25:29.829 --> 25:31.885 appointments or to destinations that 25:31.885 --> 25:33.885 they can't reach on their own . And 25:33.885 --> 25:36.130 that was my , my job , my my uh bill 25:36.140 --> 25:38.540 description later on , of course , 25:38.550 --> 25:40.839 after I got out and everything now I 25:40.849 --> 25:42.682 was able to even relate to these 25:42.682 --> 25:45.060 marines on uh even on a closer level , 25:45.859 --> 25:48.469 being able to be on both sides of the 25:48.479 --> 25:50.535 spectrum as a staff member and as an 25:50.535 --> 25:53.920 athlete , adaptive sports , 100% change 25:53.930 --> 25:56.640 lives , right ? Uh It continues to 25:56.650 --> 26:00.319 allow a person to 26:01.160 --> 26:04.209 still continue to be an athlete , right ? 26:04.219 --> 26:07.239 So still be part of a team . So uh 26:07.250 --> 26:10.540 adaptive sports in general allows you 26:10.550 --> 26:13.010 to continue to be competitive no matter 26:13.020 --> 26:14.020 your disability , 26:27.989 --> 26:31.339 right ? How I feel about the camps and 26:31.349 --> 26:34.479 it would be my third time . I feel I've 26:34.489 --> 26:36.545 expressed this almost like an act of 26:36.545 --> 26:38.656 redemption in a way uh being cancer . 26:39.089 --> 26:41.422 And then having to go to the first camp , 26:41.422 --> 26:43.145 it was like a sense of gaining 26:43.145 --> 26:45.256 something back to me when cancer felt 26:45.256 --> 26:47.478 like it took something away . And every 26:47.478 --> 26:47.439 camp session I've ever attended was 26:47.449 --> 26:49.449 meeting new people experiencing new 26:49.449 --> 26:51.616 things , understanding what my body is 26:51.616 --> 26:53.449 doing . I get more of a sense of 26:53.449 --> 26:55.505 understanding . Hey , I need to keep 26:55.505 --> 26:57.449 pushing myself because I can't and 26:57.449 --> 26:57.430 nothing , everything that seemed 26:57.439 --> 26:58.780 impossible is possible 27:03.880 --> 27:05.880 parts that's really helped over the 27:05.880 --> 27:07.880 recovery is just making connections 27:07.880 --> 27:09.658 with them . Uh We all come from 27:09.658 --> 27:11.436 different backgrounds as far as 27:11.436 --> 27:13.324 different jobs in the Navy , also 27:13.324 --> 27:15.547 different areas , but also the injuries 27:15.547 --> 27:17.547 and situations we've been in and we 27:17.547 --> 27:19.602 kind of have similarities of like we 27:19.602 --> 27:21.824 can relate to that . We're in pain . We 27:21.824 --> 27:23.991 were in trouble at one point . We have 27:23.991 --> 27:26.158 something that's traumatic and then we 27:26.158 --> 27:26.069 use that to kind of create a comraderie 27:26.079 --> 27:28.719 because we are uh back home . It feels 27:28.729 --> 27:30.840 like we're out of place . But here we 27:30.840 --> 27:32.951 feel like more at home and the people 27:32.951 --> 27:35.173 around us make it more comfortable . So 27:35.173 --> 27:35.030 that's how we develop that as a team , 27:35.040 --> 27:36.818 especially with the team sports 27:39.290 --> 27:39.859 so loud . 27:43.689 --> 27:47.189 There you go . There you go . There you 27:47.199 --> 27:51.160 go . Good . Let's 27:51.300 --> 27:52.300 go . 27:55.390 --> 27:56.557 Her last . So is our 28:02.770 --> 28:05.540 being able to network and spend time 28:05.550 --> 28:07.619 and build those relationships with 28:07.729 --> 28:11.130 other members has been crucial . It's 28:11.140 --> 28:14.369 been actually quite vital in my 28:14.380 --> 28:16.602 recovery process . It's actually helped 28:16.602 --> 28:18.949 facilitate a lot of different pathways 28:18.959 --> 28:22.859 and resources on how to mitigate issues 28:22.869 --> 28:25.069 or how to recover from some of the 28:25.079 --> 28:27.609 challenges that I've experienced based 28:27.619 --> 28:30.630 on their own experience and lessons 28:30.640 --> 28:34.449 learned . So I genuinely believe that 28:34.459 --> 28:37.989 without them , I would feel 28:38.000 --> 28:41.410 much worse off . So , real 28:41.420 --> 28:45.390 feedback from what my Children 28:45.400 --> 28:47.122 are able to witness through my 28:47.122 --> 28:49.233 participation in the warrior programs 28:49.369 --> 28:52.900 and the Adaptive sports program is that 28:52.910 --> 28:56.599 their mom can and they actually have 28:56.910 --> 28:59.750 acknowledged already that mom . That's 28:59.760 --> 29:02.520 so cool . Like how , how did you do 29:02.530 --> 29:04.752 that ? Can we go with you ? They see it 29:04.752 --> 29:07.199 as their own ability to participate and 29:07.209 --> 29:09.380 branch out to try new things . 29:12.150 --> 29:15.540 Adaptive sports does change and save 29:15.550 --> 29:19.219 lives through the engagement with 29:19.229 --> 29:22.920 others . There's a lot 29:23.479 --> 29:26.400 of conversations where it's , it's in 29:26.410 --> 29:28.521 text messages , it's in group chats , 29:28.521 --> 29:30.800 it's during lunches , it's during the 29:30.810 --> 29:34.180 water breaks and because of the 29:34.189 --> 29:36.430 program and engaging with others , 29:38.099 --> 29:40.043 it's a different type of not being 29:40.043 --> 29:41.877 alone . It's a different type of 29:41.877 --> 29:44.099 companionship and it's a different type 29:44.099 --> 29:46.739 of partnership . So I definitely would 29:46.750 --> 29:49.180 say that the program has been crucial . 29:51.420 --> 29:54.760 It's on the board . I'm excited . I'm 29:54.770 --> 29:57.089 excited for the recovering service 29:57.099 --> 30:00.400 members . Warrior games means a lot to 30:00.410 --> 30:03.719 them as it is a culminating event for 30:03.729 --> 30:06.719 many of our athletes who participate in 30:06.729 --> 30:09.040 the military adaptive sports program . 30:09.130 --> 30:11.319 Family members are excited . They're 30:11.329 --> 30:13.989 excited to see their loved ones do 30:14.000 --> 30:16.000 things that they never thought they 30:16.000 --> 30:18.949 could do and overcome obstacles and 30:18.959 --> 30:20.848 challenges that they may have had 30:20.848 --> 30:24.119 through the year . I , I just , I'm 30:24.130 --> 30:26.189 excited . I'm excited . 31:16.939 --> 31:19.319 Coach Phil from West , I made a deal 31:19.329 --> 31:21.329 about a year and a half ago with my 31:21.329 --> 31:23.496 shooters right here in the classroom . 31:23.496 --> 31:25.718 During the many trials , I told we were 31:25.718 --> 31:27.940 struggling with some shooting issues So 31:27.940 --> 31:30.162 I had to come up with something for the 31:30.162 --> 31:32.329 athletes to shoot better . I said if I 31:32.329 --> 31:34.551 get 2 , 10.9 , that's two perfect shots 31:34.551 --> 31:36.773 on the rifle or the pistol in a row . I 31:36.773 --> 31:38.940 would jump in this fountain . That was 31:38.940 --> 31:38.819 a year and a half ago yesterday at the 31:38.829 --> 31:41.510 shooting competition for Sergeant Mills . 31:41.520 --> 31:43.989 Thank you Mills for this shot . Two 31:44.000 --> 31:46.130 perfect shots live during the match . 31:46.140 --> 31:48.362 Not in a practice , live in the match . 31:48.362 --> 31:50.709 So congratulations on your Medal Mills . 31:50.719 --> 31:54.579 Uh I hope you enjoyed us . 321 . 32:04.530 --> 32:05.530 What 32:10.400 --> 32:11.400 it help ? 32:16.880 --> 32:18.658 Hey , thanks for being here . I 32:18.658 --> 32:21.369 appreciate it . Hey , 32:22.589 --> 32:26.359 real quick . That water is cold way to 32:26.369 --> 32:28.480 keep my word right . I need a picture 32:28.480 --> 32:30.591 of you , man . Yeah , shooters get in 32:30.591 --> 32:32.989 here . Let's get a , I , I , 32:37.550 --> 32:39.717 well , I did take one but I don't know 32:39.717 --> 32:39.569 how it was , you know , 32:43.839 --> 32:45.728 try not to get wet on . Come on . 32:49.619 --> 32:51.010 All right . 75 s 32:52.260 --> 32:54.239 137512 .