WASHINGTON –
The Defense Department's Warrior Games 2015 takes place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., according to a DOD news release issued March 16.
The DOD Warrior Games is an annual sporting competition bringing together wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from across the country, according to the release.
This is the first year the department is organizing the games, which were previously run by the U.S. Olympic Committee and held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
DOD Warrior Games 2015 will feature eight sporting events with about 200 athletes representing teams from the Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force. Each military service hosts trials in the months leading up to the games to determine their teams.
Adaptive sports and athletic reconditioning activities play a fundamental role in recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration of service members back to their units, or as they transition into the civilian environment, according to the release.
"The courage, strength and skill of our warrior athletes and their families inspire their fellow servicemen and women, and Americans everywhere," Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright said. "Everyone in the Department of Defense looks forward to celebrating the athletes' accomplishments before, during and after June's competition."
In 2011, DOD officials created the Military Adaptive Sports Program to enhance warrior recovery by engaging wounded, ill and injured service members in ongoing, daily adaptive activities, based on their interest and ability.
Since its inception, the Military Adaptive Sports Program has assisted more than 158,000 wounded, ill and injured service members at 325 structured camps and clinics for activities, including: basketball, cycling, track, field, swimming, golf, sitting volleyball, yoga and gardening.
For more information on the wounded warrior program, visit http://www.woundedwarrior.af.mil.
For more information about Air Force personnel programs, visit myPers at https://mypers.af.mil. Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one at http://www.retirees.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120510-068.pdf.
(Editor's note: The Air Force News Service contributed to this article.)