McHugh: Warrior Games athletes are 'awe-inspiring'

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Lisa Ferdinando | Army Secretary John M. McHugh greets retired Sgt. Sean Hook during field events at the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Quantico, Va., June 23, 2015.  

QUANTICO, VA, UNITED STATES

06.26.2015

Story by Lisa Ferdinando           

Defense Media Activity - Army   

QUANTICO, Va. -- It is "our solemn, moral responsibility" to care for wounded, ill and injured service members, who have already given so much to the nation, Army Secretary John M. McHugh said.

McHugh visited with Army athletes competing in the Department of Defense Warrior Games on Marine Corps Base Quantico, June 23.

The versatility of the athletes and their ability to excel is "awe-inspiring," he said.

"We owe them the very best in both initial medical care and transition assistance as they go forward into the next phase of their lives," he said.

The Warrior Games, which run from June 19-28, go far beyond competition, he said.

"It's a quality of life issue, it's a pride of service issue as we see the competition across all the services, but most of all, it's about meeting other similarly positioned athletes about going forward and competing in great spirits," McHugh said.

The games provide a "very positive output for competition and for learning more about yourself and exactly what additional you do that you didn't think you could," he said.

An impressive thing, he said, is that service members reach out to athletes from the other services to help them and cheer them on, which, McHugh said, "really underscores the true nature of this event."

Adaptive sports help healing

Retired Sgt. Sean Hook loves the support he gets from friends, Family and the Army. He competes in archery, field, and sitting volleyball, and won gold in archery, June 22, in individual and gold.

"To have the support from my teammates, and my wife and children and everybody, it's huge," he said.

The comradery among the services is great to see, he said.

"We all realize that we're all different but the same in sorts. It's a good time. It's helped me through my journey. It's exciting to be here again."

For a lot of the athletes, it's not about their disability, but their ability, he said. "It's the new you. You learn how to deal with it."

Retired Sgt. Monica Southall competed in the standing shotput and standing discus, June 23. Southall, who had been an athlete all through high school and college, said it is an honor to be at the games.

"I remember one time I wasn't able to hardly stand or walk, so to be able to do both and not only that but compete at a high level again is very exciting to me," she said.

(Editor's note: As of June 23, Army was leading in the Chairman's Cup race with 15 medals compared to the Marine Corps' 10, Air Force's 10, United Kingdom's nine and the combined Navy/Coast Guard team's six. Army had nine gold, four silver and two bronze medals before the field events were tallied.)

• Date Taken: 06.26.2015
• Date Posted: 06.26.2015 10:45
• Story ID: 168264
• Location: QUANTICO, VA, US