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His path through the Marine Corps has taken him through peaks and valleys. As he walked it, the road changed and he changed along with it. Along the way, he kept his eyes on the final destination with the help of the Marines to his left and right and in return he helped other Marines find their path.
After seven years of Marine Corps service, which started out with time as a TOW gunner, wounded warrior Sgt. Richard Tack retired from active duty May 15 on the eve of the 2011 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Warrior Games is an annual Paralymic-style competition between the United States armed services. Tack is competing in the shooting competitions as well as the archery recurve bow competition, but he is contributing more to the Wounded Warrior Regiment than just compiling points for his team.
In 2007, Tack was manning a post near Al Taqaddum, Iraq, when machinegun fire tore through his calf. After returning stateside, Tack was assigned to the National Museum of the Marine Corps for a few months before he found his place at the Wounded Warrior Regiment, headquartered out of Quantico.
At the time, the WWR’s Warrior Athlete Reconditioning program was just getting onto its feet since its start in 2009. With the upcoming inaugural Warrior Games in 2010, the program needed help recruiting wounded, ill and injured athletes to compete for the Marine Corps.
There are hundreds of wounded, ill and injured Marines who are attached to either Wounded Warrior Battalion West, in Camp Pendleton, Calif., or Battalion East in Camp Lejeune, N.C., said Maj. Susan Stark the officer-in-charge of the Warrior Athlete Reconditioning program. Still, there are hundreds if not thousands more active and veteran Marines who aren’t attached to the regiment or who are just living at home.
“At the time we really needed help to reach out to all these people and get them involved in our program, so we can help with their recovery process through the use of athletics to motivate and strengthen them,” Stark said.
“Tack was with the museum at the time and we heard he had a real interest in helping out at the regiment,” Stark said. “We brought him in and we were immediately impressed by [his] work ethic and good attitude. He really took his mission of finding wounded athletes to heart and a lot of Marines benefited from it.”
In part, thanks to athletes who Tack recruited, the Marines took the title at the inaugural Warrior Games last year. In preparation for defending the Marine’s title, Tack was back on the recruiting campaign for this year’s Warrior Games.
“[Tack] sought me out and convinced me how great it would be to be part of the Marine Corps’ team,” said veteran Cpl. Savage Margraf, a native of Lodi, Wis. “I had some doubts, but after talking to a fellow wounded warrior I felt like competing would be a fun thing.”
Though it meant several long hours at his Quantico office, Tack feels all his extra effort was worth it.
“When I come here to Colorado and I see everyone competing on the team for the same goal I get this feeling you can’t replace,” Tack said. “It’s incredible knowing I was a part of making this happen, because it’s obvious by looking around all the good the competition is doing for those who are competing in these Warrior Games.”
Now the former sergeant of Marines, who likes to be now known as “Mr. Tack,” is ready to take on his next challenge in the civilian world. After going on a job hunting trip in Atlanta where he attending a few interviews, Tack received job offers from Dell Inc. and Booz Allen Hamilton, a government consulting firm. Tack has yet to decide on an offer.
“I’ve been looking forward to taking this next step for a while now,” said Tack, a native of Rock Hill, S.C. “I think my time here at the regiment will really serve me well as I transition to working as a civilian.”
Though he may no longer be an active duty Marine, Tack has no intention of forgetting about the Corps.
“I’m definitely interested in competing in future Warrior Games and hopefully one day the Paralympics,” Tack said. “There’s no way I would give up the feeling of being around this team.”
| Date Taken: | 05.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2011 19:31 |
| Story ID: | 70710 |
| Location: | COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wounded Warrior leaves behind a team legacy after retirement, by Cpl Jahn Kuiper, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
