ALEXANDRIA, Va. (April 1, 2016) – The U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (WTC) selected the 40 wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans and five alternates representing Team Army at the 2016 DOD Warrior Games. Army athletes will compete in eight sports against Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command and United Kingdom Armed Forces teams, June 15-21, 2016, at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.
“All of the men and women who represent the Army team at Warrior Games are examples of strength, resilience and dedication,” said Col. Chris Toner, Commander, U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command and Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition.
“All of them are very inspiring. I look forward to them competing against our sister services and Special Operations Command. Adaptive Sports competition is a way to honor our wounded, ill and injured soldiers and to showcase their ability to adapt and overcome adversity as well as support them in their transition.”
The Soldiers and veterans competing at the 2016 DOD Warrior Games are:
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Erick Acevado, Kempner, Texas
• Staff Sgt. Ashley Anderson, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Riley, Kansas
• Sgt. 1st Class Allan Armstrong, Fort Hood, Texas
• Spc. Anthony Atemon, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• Veteran Sgt. Jhoonar Barrera, San Diego, California
• Veteran Capt. Ryan Brunett, Hudson Falls, New York
• Veteran Spc. Terry Cartwright, Safford, Arizona
• Spc. Shealynn Casserly, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
• Veteran Capt. April Darowski, Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Spc. Sydney Davis, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Capt. Justin Decker, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas
• Capt. Kelly Elminger, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas
• Veteran Sgt. Brandi Evans, El Paso, Texas
• Veteran Sgt. Robbie Gaupp, Gatesville, Texas
• Veteran Staff. Sgt. Randi Gavell, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Robert Green, San Antonio, Texas
• Veteran Sgt. 1st Class David Iuli, Fredrickson, Washington
• Veteran Sgt. Blake Johnson, Bethesda, Maryland
• Sgt. David Jones, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• Veteran Sgt. 1st Class Katie Kuiper, San Antonio, Texas
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Matthew Lammers, Tucson, Arizona
• Veteran Sgt. Stefan Leroy, Jupiter, Florida
• Veteran Sgt. Ryan Major, Towson, Maryland
• Veteran Sgt. Ana Manciaz, San Antonio, Texas
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Robert Mathews, Sahaurita, Arizona
• 1st Lt. Michael Matthews, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Stewart, Georgia
• Veteran Sgt. 1st Class Michael McPhall, Glenville, Georgia
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Matthew Mihacsi, Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Spc. Stephanie Morris, Walter Reed Warrior Transition Unit, Bethesda, Maryland
• Veteran Cpl. Matthew Mueller, Peoria, Arizona
• Sgt. Kawaiola Nahale, United States Army Reserves, Fort Shafter, Hawaii
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Eric Pardo, San Antonio, Texas
• 1st Lt. Christopher Parks, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Hood, Texas
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Timothy Payne, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Staff Sgt. Zed Pitts, United States Army Reserves, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Staff Sgt. Gregory Quarles, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Benning, Georgia
• Veteran Spc. Haywood Range, San Antonio, Texas
• Veteran Capt. William Reynolds, Bethesda, Maryland
• Sgt. Carmalina Rowe, Warrior Transition Battalion, Fort Bliss, Texas
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Alexander Shaw, Clarksville, Tennessee
• Spc. David Snipes, Walter Reed Warrior Transition Unit, Bethesda, Maryland
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Monica Southall, Henrico, Virgina
• Veteran Spc. Michael Stephens, El Paso, Texas
• Veteran Staff Sgt. Ricardo Villalobos, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Veteran Master Sgt. Shawn “Bubba” Vosburg, El Paso, Texas
Wounded, ill and injured service members compete in archery, cycling, field, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and wheelchair basketball in this Paralympic-style competition.
Each branch is responsible for selecting its own team. To select the Army athletes, this year WTC hosted the U.S. Army Trials in March at Fort Bliss, Texas. The most competitive times and scores from the Army Trials helped determine which soldiers and veterans would represent the Army team at the 2016 DoD Warrior Games.
The U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (WTC) is a major subordinate command under the U.S. Army Medical Command. WTC provides oversight for the Warrior Care and Transition Program that is implemented at the Army’s 25 Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) and through the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2). At WTUs, each soldier develops a personalized comprehensive transition plan (CTP) with short- and long-term goals in six domains: physical, social, spiritual, emotional, family and career. Adaptive reconditioning activities like sports connect physical activities to the six domains of the individual’s CTP. For more information on the Warrior Transition Command or the Army’s Warrior Games team visit: www.WTC.army.mil, follow on Facebook at http://facebook.com/armyWTC or Twitter at http://twitter.com/armyWTC.