by
Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
CHICAGO – The 2017
Department of Defense Warrior Games kicked off June 30th with competitions
over the weekend in shooting, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and
track.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Damion
Hedington, (third from left), a 2012 Holden High School graduate and Holden, Louisiana native, is
a multisport athlete competing in archery, swimming, and track and field.
Hedington, won two
silver medals this weekend at track in the 800 and 1500 meters. He was also
part of the bronze medal winning archery team competition.
He will compete in
the field portion of competition on July 5 and swimming on July 8, the last day
of the Warrior Games.
Hedington and the
rest of “Team Navy” join more than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured
service members and veterans at the Department of Defense Warrior Games.
Navy athletes are competing against competitors from
the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Special Operations Command, Australian Defense
Force and the United Kingdom Armed Forces in cycling, track and field,
shooting, swimming, archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors
by providing them top-notch 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 Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal
through adaptive sports.
These 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. It is an opportunity for athletes to showcase their
enduring warrior spirit in the presence of their families and grateful nation.
- - Lt. Jesus Uranga, Team Navy
Public Affairs
For more information about the 2017 DoD Warrior
Games, please visit http://www.dodwarriorgames.com/.