Wounded Warrior to compete in Department of Defense Games

For Navy man, an Auburn High School grad, ‘there is so much healing from so many ways’ by participating

May 30, 2018 11:10 am
U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Officer, Lt. Carl Hill, a 1994 graduate of Auburn High School, practices his marksmanship for the upcoming Department of Defense Warrior Games. COURTESY PHOTO

By Lt. Cmdr. Jenn Womble, Commander Navy Installations Command

U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Officer, Lt. Carl Hill, a 1994 Auburn High School graduate who considers Temecula, Calif., home, joins more than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans at the Department of Defense (DOD) Warrior Games June 1-9 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Hill will compete against athletes from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“Participating in the Warrior Games to me means that I am doing something hard again,” Hill said. “I am pushing myself physically and mentally, which is something I haven’t done in a long time.”

During the nine days of competition Hill will compete in shooting, archery, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.

“Our Navy Wounded Warrior athletes have shown incredible resiliency in their personal roads to recovery through Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC)’s Adaptive Sports Program. The actions of these athletes demonstrate the Navy’s core attributes of integrity, accountability, initiative and toughness,” said Vice Adm. Mary Jackson, Commander, Navy Installations Command.

Hill was selected for Team Navy after the competitive Wounded Warrior Trials in February at Naval Station Mayport in Mayport, Fla. Team Navy includes service members and veterans with upper-body, lower-body and spinal cord injuries; traumatic brain injuries; visual impairment; serious illnesses; and post-traumatic stress.

“You can’t even place value or a price on adaptive sports,” Hill said. “There is so much healing from so many ways. From being around people that are like you, people that understand you, to accomplishing things again and not feeling like a total failure or ‘broken.’ From team sports to individual events, it is amazing how much this helps people heal.”

The games provide an opportunity for athletes to grow physically, mentally and spiritually from the sportsmanship and camaraderie gained by representing their respective service teams in a friendly and spirited competition.

“I was recently in a very dark place. I was beginning to get very distant and very negative about everything,” Hill said. “Adaptive sports showed me that I can do hard and challenging things. I am not the same person that I was before I was injured, and that’s OK. I am redefining who I am and being good with that person.”

The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors from the Navy and Coast Guard by providing them non-medical support through Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) – Safe Harbor. All enrollees in NWW are encouraged to make athletics a key component of their recovery efforts. By promoting wounded warrior participation in competitions like the DOD Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal through adaptive sports.

For more information about the games, visit dodwarriorgames.com.