Doug Hill gets a chance to wear his nation’s colors again
ACHS graduate is taking part in Wounded Warrior games
Doug Hill with team Navy during the Wounded Warrior trials
Hill will be competing against athletes from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“Participating in the 2018 DoD Warrior Games gives me an opportunity to wear my nation’s colors again,” said Hill. “It restores the sense of pride I had when I wore my uniform on active duty.”
During the nine days of competition Hill will compete in field, swimming, powerlifting, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.
“Our Navy Wounded Warrior athletes have shown incredible resiliency in their personal roads to recovery through Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC)’s adaptive sports program.
The actions of these athletes demonstrate the Navy’s core attributes of integrity, accountability, initiative and toughness,” said Vice Adm. Mary Jackson, Commander, Navy Installations Command.
The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) has said that, “We will remain the world’s finest Navy only if we all fight each and every minute to get better and there is no better example of this performance than what our Sailors and Coast Guardsmen in the Navy Wounded Warrior Program do each and every day.”
Hill was selected for team Navy after the competitive Wounded Warrior Trials in February at Naval Station Mayport in Mayport, Fla.
Team Navy includes service members and veterans with upper-body, lower-body, and spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; visual impairment; serious illnesses; and post-traumatic stress.
“Adaptive Sports have taught me that although I can never be the person I was before my injury, I can still be the best possible version of myself,” said Hill. “Obstacles turn to opportunity with the right perspective.”
These games provide an opportunity for athletes to grow physically, mentally and spiritually from the sportsmanship and camaraderie gained by representing their respective service teams in a friendly and spirited competition. It is an opportunity for athletes to showcase their enduring warrior spirit in the presence of their families and grateful nation.
The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors from the Navy and Coast Guard by providing them top-notch non-medical support through Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) – Safe Harbor. All enrollees in NWW are encouraged to make athletics a key component of their recovery efforts. By promoting wounded warrior participation in competitions like the DOD Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal through adaptive sports.
For more information about the 2018 DOD Warrior Games, please visit http://www.dodwarriorgames.com/.