|
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – “When obstacles arise, you change
your direction to reach your goal, you do not change your
decision to get there.” Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker.
The Marine team trained since September 15 in order to build team
cohesion and acclimate to the above 6,000 feet altitude of Colorado
Springs for the 2014 Warrior Games ... a Paralympic-style
competition for more than 200 wounded, ill and injured service that
occurred Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Colorado. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Quezada) |
|
In any clime and place, Marines have persevered through almost
every battle that forged this nation. The evolving battlefield has
made modern-day warfare more technical, tactical and evermore
dangerous, but our wounded warriors who come home sometimes take the
battle with them.
Historically, wounded, ill, and injured
service members and veterans had fewer resources and less support to
help them reintegrate back into a normal lifestyle. Advances in
battlefield medicine and technology have led to an increase in
survivability of our service members who are wounded in combat.
It
wasn't until 2007 that the Wounded Warrior Regiment entrenched and
became a working testament to the Marine Corps' commitment to “Keep
Faith” with Marines.
“We have to approach each and every
Marine individually and say this is how we are going to attack the
situation and this is how we are going to gain a victory for you.
Every one of the Marines has a complex need ... it's not a
cookie-cutter approach,” said Col. T. Shane Tomko, commanding
officer, Wounded Warrior Regiment. “We work four lines of
operations; those lines are the physical, spiritual, mental and the
transition. ... It's not just one element, but they're all tied
together ... the stronger we are physically, the stronger we'll be
mentally, spiritually and that better enables our warriors to
transition either back into the ranks or the civilian community.”
Our wounded warriors suffer from external and
internal wounds that can be either combat or non-combat
related. In their road to recovery, some Marines lose more
than physical strength; they can lose hope, faith,
perseverance and more.
|
The regiment's focus to promote
balanced and total healing has given the kind of support
these Marines need in their worst of days. Standing behind
these men and women who have sacrificed so much connects
them to critical resources and aids them in achieving their
long-term recovery goals.
“You deal with you're injuries in a different way and
have to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel
somewhere. ... Being with other individuals who are hurt,
whether its combat or non-combat, makes it a lot better than
compared to being by yourself. ... I went through a hard
time when I was by myself,” said Sgt. Michael Wishnia, a
native to Livingston, New Jersey. “Mentally you're hurt
because you're use to being combat ready, but can't do what
you use to. Then you find something you can do and it brings
you back up again ... I've been doing this for almost my
whole life, it feels like my whole life and it's what I love
doing. I love being a Marine.”
Whether in a time of
peace or war, the Wounded Warrior Regiment is an enduring
presence that ensures our service members and veterans
receive the comprehensive non-medical recovery care that is
crucial in order for the Marine Corps to take care of its
own. The regiment provides a unique and diverse recovery
program that caters to each individual, because no matter
what happens, the Corps and their fellow Marines will take
care of them.
“Having facilities that are tailored to
injured personnel is great,” said Wishnia. “We have our
athletic, personal trainers and coaches that know how to
build and tailor their workouts to you, so it brings back
another spark to the life that we thought we couldn't have
... plus the Warrior Games keeps that competitive spirit up
and brings all the forces together to fight for each other
and for the same goal.”
Finding solace at the home
front can be a struggle. Despite persevering throughout a
Marines military career, the hardest time to find that grit
could be throughout recovery.
“Mentally, I had to say
listen, you're not going to be able to do this anymore. I
have my family, a wife and two kids, and I have to succeed
for them, like how I succeeded for my Marines in combat,”
said Wishnia. “My wife has helped me out tremendously.
Sometimes I'll be in a bad moment, but she knows that her
and my kids are my life and they know I'll have to continue
pushing on and fighting for them, especially since my kids
are so young now. ... I don't want them to have that type of
dad who fell to alcohol or became abusive, that's not what I
want. I want to be the dad that's able to do what I can with
my kids, even with my limitations. ... I still have a
mission to accomplish as a Marine and father ... and even
though my time as an active Marine may come to an end, I'm
always a Marine, and I'll do whatever I can for them.”
More photos available below
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jessica Quezada
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
Comment on this article
|
