JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A program based at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph is
expanding competitive and recreational opportunities for Wounded Warriors,
starting with a special sports event next week at JBSA-Lackland.
Air Force Personnel Center’s Air Force Wounded Warrior
Program, which provides personalized care, services and advocacy for total
force seriously wounded, ill and injured recovering service members, will
conduct its first Adaptive and Rehabilitative Sports Event 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Oct. 9 at the Medina Annex Fitness Center and Skylark Aquatic Center.
The event will consist of morning clinics dedicated to
instruction in wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, swimming and yoga,
followed by afternoon competitions.
Marsha Gonzales, AFW2 Warrior and Survivor Care Division
deputy chief, said the event is the start of a series of three-month cycles
that will provide members of the 59th Medical Wing’s Airman Medical Transition
Unit at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center and other Wounded Warriors with
instruction on a variety of sports and competitive opportunities.
“This kick-off event will be the start of a three-month
period when Air Force Services facilities involved will offer adaptive and
rehabilitative sports times so that the Warriors will be able to continue with
what they learn,” she said. “At the end of the three months, there will be a
day devoted to competition for Warriors in the local area.
“When the first three months are up, we will adjust the
sports based on the needs of the warrior community and will start a new cycle,”
Gonzales said.
The A&R sports community program events will be preceded
by training for fitness center staff members at the Medina Annex Fitness Center
and the Skylark Aquatic Center at JBSA-Lackland, where swimming instruction and
competition will take place, Kari Miller, AFW2 community programs coordinator,
said.
“The staff will learn the basic rules of popular adaptive
sports like sitting volleyball and apply their training learning to lead the
practices for the Joint Service Wounded Warriors,” she said.
Miller said the Wounded Warrior program already conducts
large A&R camps nationwide that introduce Warriors to a range of activities
and sports from music therapy, yoga and art therapy to basketball, volleyball,
swimming and cycling.
However, the upcoming A&R sports event and three-month
cycles will provide continuity for the Wounded Warriors in the JBSA community
and allow them to progress more quickly in their chosen sports and offer
training opportunities for events such as the Warrior Games and Paralympics,
Miller said.
“It’s a much-needed program,” she said. “Because it’s an
ongoing program, it will always be there. It will allow warriors to figure out
if they want recreation or a more competitive outlet, and give those who are
competitive a place to practice their craft. It also builds camaraderie and
reaffirms that we heal together faster.”
Miller said another advantage of the A&R cycles is that
they are tailored to the wants and needs of the Wounded Warriors.
“We will help facilitate programs that meet the needs and
interests,” she said. “AFW2 wants to put the warriors in the best situation possible
to get them off the couch. You want to serve the population you have and
empower them to win in their recovery.”
Miller, a former Army sergeant who excelled as a member of
the U.S. Paralympics Women's Sitting Volleyball National Team, said the event
is open to all Wounded Warriors, regardless of their service.
“It’s for all wounded, ill and injured who have common
access card access,” she said. “We’re trying to make sure there is something
for them to come home to – to have a place where they can work out, train and
compete. We also want them to be able to share what they’re going through with
other Warriors and get involved in our AFW2 mentorship program.”
The A&R sports event is part of the AFW2’s Warrior CARE
initiative, Tony Jasso, AFW2 Outreach, Communications and Adaptive and
Rehabilitative Sports Warrior Care Division section lead, said.
“CARE stands for Caregiver, Adaptive and Rehabilitative
Sports; Recovering Airmen Mentorship Program, and Employment and Career
Services,” he said. “These events are the first of their kind and demonstrate
AFW2’s innovative way to holistically approach and serve our Air Force Wounded
Warriors.
“Warriors will get connected to others in recovery trying
this event for the first time and get access to individualized services that
will establish new recovery goals and provide an entirely new support system,”
Jasso said. “Most importantly, warriors can join a family all aimed toward one
goal: getting better together.”