OSI Special Agent supports 2014 Warrior Games

  • Published
  • By Air Force Office of Special Investigations
QUANTICO, Va. --  The Warrior Games celebrates its fifth year of competition and in 2014, the strategy is to combine assets and maximize personnel, resources and talent while conserving costs to produce a high-quality product for several audiences. This year will be a pilot program for 2015 and beyond when the Department of Defense assumes control of the games.

Special Agent Robert Davis, Det. 212 commander, has been directly supporting this year's Warrior Games as a coach in the shooting competition portion of the event.

"My time working with Air Force Wounded Warriors has been humbling and vastly rewarding.  I'm looking forward to our athletes bringing home the gold this week!" said SA Davis.

"SA Davis has taken several personal temporary duty assignments on his own time and with his own finances to get our wounded warriors ready to compete. He's now coaching the event," said Colonel Terry Bullard, SA Davis' Region 2 commander. "This is a great example of one of our officer agents giving of themselves for the benefit of others who are all so deeply deserving," he added.

The Warrior Games represent the culmination of participation in structured adaptive sports activities, providing an opportunity for service members and veterans to renew their experience of support and camaraderie within the team environment, contribute to team success, and demonstrate the "warrior ethos" in a competitive environment.

The Warrior Games, founded in 2010, are designed to introduce wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to adaptive sports and encourage them to stay physically active when they return to their local communities following the event. The Warrior Games is an adaptive sport competition for wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans. Since its inception, the Warrior Games have been hosted by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and presented by Deloitte Corporation.

The 2014 games will take place from September 28 to October 4 at the Olympic Training Center (OTC), Colorado Springs, Colo.,  Fort Carson, Color., and Garry Berry Stadium [at] Wasson High School, Colorado Springs, Colo. Approximately 250 athletes are expected to participate in the 2014 Warrior Games, representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

The 2014 Warrior Games feature seven adaptive sports: archery, cycling, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, shooting, track and field, and swimming. Each service will also nominate competitors for the Ultimate Champion, a pentathlon style event in which service members and veterans compete against each other in a variety of disciplines.

Wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans prepare for the Warrior Games by participating in structured camps, clinics and daily adaptive sports activities - executed nationwide through the Office of Warrior Care Policy Military Adaptive Sports Program (MASP). Additional supporters and sponsors include: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the USO, Fisher House Foundation and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

In order to qualify for the 2014 Warrior Games teams, athletes must participate in camps, clinics,   trials or other means for their respective service teams throughout the past year. Specifically, 40 Air Force athletes will compete. Additionally, 22 Air Force athletes were selected as part of the 100-person USA Team to compete at the Invictus Games in the United Kingdom.

The Invictus Games was born out of Prince Harry's attendance at the 2013 Warrior Games. He expressed interest in conducting a similar event in United Kingdom in 2014 and the U.K. Ministry of Defense initiated contact with the Office of Warrior Care Policy to determine DoD interest and begin the planning process for an international adaptive sports event.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey accepted an official invitation from General Sir Nicolas Houghton, Chief of the U.K. Defense Staff, to send a U.S. team to the inaugural event in London Sept. 10-14.

The Warrior Games embody the spirit of the members of the United States Armed Forces and are a testament to their strength, personal courage and inspirational attitude. Adaptive sports and reconditioning activities help enable healing through a holistic approach throughout the recovery and reintegration process: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically and, most importantly, socially as service members and veterans share and learn through their common experiences.