Soldiers represent Belvoir at Warrior Games

Wounded Warriors from across the country headed to Colorado Springs, Colo. May 10 through 14 for the inaugural Warrior Games, a celebration that recognized the achievements of wounded servicemembers in nine different sports.

Two of those servicemembers came from right here at Fort Belvoir.

Staff Sgt. Curtis Winston took home a silver medal in the archery competition, while Sgt. Monica Southall won a gold in the shot put.

"The Warrior Games taught me not to give up on the things you love to do," Southall said. "No matter what injury we may have - there were people with cancer, double amputees, whatever - it doesn't matter. We still gave it our all."

The novice archer

Winston's trip to the Games began with a recent training event in San Antonio. The event introduced him to archery for the first time. He enjoyed it enough to continue training upon his return to Belvoir's Warrior in Transition Unit.

"When I got back, I met up with the [Belvoir] Bowhunters and started training with them, maybe about an hour every day," Winston said.

According to Rick Atchison, president of the Bowhunters, he and Paul Vogel provided Winston's instruction and coaching. "[He] is a natural archer and a pleasure to work with," Atchison said.

When Winston learned about the Warrior Games and that the competition included an archery event, he decided to compete.

Competitors had to obtain their own equipment, and with the help of a grant from the Belvoir Thrift Shop, Winston was able to secure a bow for the Games.

He looked forward to his event, despite his limited experience in the sport.

"I was pretty nervous with the little experience I had," Winston said of his performance in the recurve-bow competition. "I didn't think I'd qualify or move on to the medal round. I was nervous when I got out there, but as the round went on, I felt more comfortable.

"I was shocked to find out what the results were," he added.

Those results included a medal sweep for Army, with Sgt. Michael Lukow winning gold and Staff Sgt. Jeffery Anderson bringing home the bronze.
For Winston, the fact he was able to get out and compete was a blessing. "It showed me that I still have something to offer after my injury," he said.

The multi-sport athlete

Southall's Warrior Games offered similar lessons, but down a slightly different path.

After sustaining several injuries, including two torn rotator cuffs and a torn ACL, Southall signed up on the last day applications were accepted with a single goal in mind: becoming active again. "I was a three-sport athlete in both high school and college, and with the injuries I've sustained, I can't do much that involves sports," she explained. "I figured this was a chance to be active again, and work within the limitations of my injuries to do something I love."

She signed on for three sports - shot put, cycling and sitting volleyball.

During practice for the shot put, she managed to throw the shot further than most of her competitors, including a Paralympian who joined in the fun. "He threw it exactly as far as I did," she said.

The practice paid off, as Southall won first place in the event.

Volleyball, she said, was her personal favorite. "The games were electrifying," she said. "They drew the biggest crowd. You probably wouldn't think it's that much, but it's enjoyable to watch and had everyone on the edge of their seats."

Army's first team finished in second place, while Southall and her fellow Soldiers finished in fourth. "I want revenge on the Marines that knocked us out of medal contention, and the Air Force that cost us the bronze," she joked.

But Southall's most powerful story came on the day of the cycling event. After a shaky start on the hand cycle that saw her bike chain pop out of place, she quickly fell out of contention and decided, as she said, to enjoy the scenery along the course.

The ride began smoothly, as most of it was downhill. That changed at the halfway point of the race.

"I started having problems," Southall said. "My shoulders hurt more from my injuries, and it was getting harder and harder to cycle, especially since the majority of the race was uphill from there."

She learned, however, that she wasn't alone. Two competitors from the upright bicycle race were behind her - Warrant Officer Johnathan Holsey and Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Will Wilson.
Both men are leg amputees and were pushing their way to the finish line, but slowed upon seeing Southall.

"They pretty much abandoned their race to help me finish," she said. "They decided to help me together. We had a long way to go, but they supported me the whole way."

The cheering at the finish line was as loud as if the trio brought home a first-place run, Southall said. "There was such a big display by all the people. They waited for us," she said. "Everyone cheered us on. It wasn't just the Army cheering, it was everybody. It was beautiful. I couldn't thank them enough.

"For them [Holsey and Wilson] to abandon their race, I can't describe it," she continued. "It's one thing to have two good legs, but these guys were amputees, and it was painful for them too. But they made up their mind they were going to stay with me no matter what."

The power of camaraderie

If the Games symbolize anything, it is the resiliency of the Warrior's spirit and the solidarity shared between them.

"We might have started cheering for Army, or Navy, or whoever, but at the end of the day, those chants were for U.S.A., and for each other," Southall explained. "No matter what branch you were with, the games brought you together. That was the biggest thing. Nothing else mattered."

More than that, the Games offered a way for Warriors to earn a new lease on their lives.

"It was such a renewal, to try and get better and get back into life," Southall said. "It's easy for WTUs to get down on themselves, they don't want to do anything. It was such a big energy that it made everyone there want to do more.

"No matter what, you're still here. You're still alive. You can still do something."