When The Shooting Stops: National Veterans Wheelchair Games Begin Today

Monday, June 25, 2012

National Veterans Wheelchair Games Begin Today

Acknowledging the lot of America's military Veterans can be a tough balancing act sometimes. We need to pay more attention to the bad things happening in areas such as untreated Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the alarmingly high rate of suicide among our Vets, but we should also not lose sight of the vast majority of our men and women who adjust, persevere and thrive despite being dealt a bad hand.

An outstanding example of that is the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG), that open today in Richmond, Va., and run through June 30.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, the NVWG is the largest annual wheelchair sports competition in the world and offers a wide array of events including basketball, softball, swimming, weightlifting and even rugby. The Games include a total of 17 different sports with competition among Veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, amputations and neurological diseases.

"This event means a lot to me, it’s something I look forward to all year long,” said Anthony Radetic, 32, a combat Veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, who has lost the use of both legs. “It’s a great social gathering for military veterans. Every soldier I know has a competitive spirit, a motivational drive to challenge themselves to reach and seize the moment; this is the place to do exactly that.”

The NVWG, which attracts over 500 athletes every year, offers a range of competition and levels from world-class champions to newly-disabled Vets adjusting to the new challenges they face and wanting to continue in competitive sports. According to the VA, about 25 percent of the athletes have never participated in any type of organized wheelchair sports competition before coming to the NVWG.

"The National Veterans Wheelchair Games started in the city of Richmond whose motto is 'Thus do we reach the stars,'" said Bill Lawson, national president of Paralyzed Veterans of America. "As the Games return to the city this year, I know they will inspire everyone -- athletes and spectators alike -- to reach for the stars, to overcome adversity, and to reach their full potential."

1 comment:

AnonymousJune 27, 2012 at 9:38 AM
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Go! Go! Go! Don't let your handicap hinder you to do things you want to do. Just go with it like this guys does.
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Why This Blog?

I spent a lot of the last decade pissed off -- really pissed off. And my writing at the time reflected it: Angry, pointed and focused like a laser on everything I did not like about the previous administration and, in particular, the war in Iraq, which as a military Veteran, left me fuming more days than not.

My opposition to the Iraq war was specifically because of having been in the military and my unshakable belief that our men and women in uniform were serving honorably and with tremendous courage in a war that was not worthy of their sacrifice. I stand by every word I wrote during that time, but I would be lying if I said there were not some things that I wish I could take back. Thus is the lot you draw for yourself when you are angry and where most of what you care about is what you are against, rather than what you are for.

This web site and my upcoming book, When The Shooting Stops, will be all about what I am for: Our newest military families who have sacrificed so much over the last 10 years, the people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and our duty as a nation to see that what they gave -- and what they risked -- is honored and never forgotten.

I can't promise I will never take a political tone -- can any of us ever swear to that these days? What I do promise is that I will damned well try to keep this blog about the people who are wearing the uniform, those who have served and their families. I may call some people out, but I will try to make the criteria for that criticism what they do for or against the interests of our military people and Veterans and not what political party they belong to.

After feeling at odds for so many years with my more conservative friends, it feels good to come back to something that, at its core, is something most people can agree with -- our military families and Veterans gave to us and we must remember to give back to them.

Thanks for reading.