Paralympics Sports Camp a Success

In June of 1999 Senior Airman Jason Morgan was an Airborne qualified weather forecaster assigned to the OL-A, 10th Combat Weather Squadron that was deployed to Ecuador to support the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment on a counternarcotics mission. The mission was successful, but on the way out life would change for Morgan.

"Things went good on the way in, but things didn't go so good on the way out. Our vehicle overturned, and I broke my back, leaving me with a T-12 spinal injury. After being in and out of the hospital for five years and then getting out (of the Air Force), my whole life was torn apart. And that is when I got involved in sports. The Paralympics has given me another way to serve my country. I absolutely love it - especially to get out on the water. This is a way to introduce a sport that we wouldn't do otherwise. Being a wheelchair competitor and never doing this before, I picked it up real fast," Morgan said just after completing a successful outing in adaptive rowing.

Morgan is one of the 30 warriors who competed in the first ever regional Paralympics sports camp at Fort Lewis May 5-8. Ten of the warriors represented the post's Warrior Transition Battalion. Over the two days the warriors competed in adaptive rowing, sitting volleyball, track and field, and swimming.

In brisk winds and rough waters, the soldiers were assisted by trainers in getting in the specially designed sculls. The modified sculls were designed so the soldiers could utilize their upper body strength and featured a raised chair with a seat belt. Some of the soldiers have lost their legs or proper functioning of them due to their injuries.

Sgt.1st Class Lucritia Gayle is an Army reservist who was wounded in Baghdad in 2005. She suffered a spinal cord injury. As Gayle was assisted onto the scull she grimaced. Once she had been boarded on the scull she looked up and smiled. As she pushed off supporters watching the event applauded.

"This is my very first time rowing. This has been a great experience for me. The volunteers and the generosity and the overall (experience) are great. I wish I could have stayed out there longer. I love it," she said after 30 minutes of rowing on American Lake.

After rowing successfully, the soldiers made their way to the gym to participate in sitting volleyball. After some instructions from U.S. Paralympics sitting volleyball coach Bill Hamiter, the soldiers started. Sitting volleyball follows the same rules as its non-disabled equivalent with a few modifications to accommodate the various disabilities.

"We are trying to teach these soldiers the sitting game so soldiers ... can be competitive and play a competitive game and still use their ability that they have. It is a great motivational tool," Hamiter said.

Spc. Jeffrey Sigerson is assigned to B Company at the WTB. He has shown courage and determination for five years after receiving injuries at Basic Training where he fell 18 feet from a training tower. Sigerson dislocated his vertebrae and damaged a nerve, which makes his torso twitch. To make things worse, while in Iraq his hand was crushed by a door by some Ugandans his unit was working with during a combat mission. This injury has caused his fingers to curl.

"I think this sitting volleyball is great. This really gets people involved. You have people that have no arms and no legs, and it really challenges them all. If it makes us feel good, why not try it? I just hope I don't get hit in the head," Sigerson said as he prepared to play.

Chief occupational therapist at the WTB Lesley Vaughn spent the day encouraging soldiers in their events.
"We are creating opportunities for soldiers to do things that they would otherwise not be able to participate in. We want to expose them to new activities which can affect them mentally and physically and events that can lift their morale and boost the individual spirit," Vaughn said.

WTB commander Lt. Col. K.C Bolton has been a driving force in giving wounded warriors every opportunity to achieve mental and physical fitness.

"This camp allows wounded warriors to build upon not only their physical fitness but also their self-confidence. The camp is a chance to showcase the Paralympics movement and get the warriors excited about engaging in adaptive sports and may inspire them to a lifetime of fitness regardless of their disability," said Bolton.