– Courtesy photo / Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
By Rick Burke
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Roel Espino, a 2006 Pasadena High School graduate and Pasadena native, will join more than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans at the Department of Defense Warrior Games June 30 – July 8 in Chicago, Illinois.
Espino will be competing against athletes from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Special Operations Command.
“I remember the first time I put my uniform on in boot camp and the last time I wore my uniform for good; I remember telling myself ‘this is it, this is the end of my career’ but being able to compete in the games gives me the opportunity to represent the Navy one more time, even if it’s only temporary,” said Espino.
During the nine days Espino will compete in archery, shooting and track and field.
“Our Navy athletes who are participating in this year’s Department of Defense Warrior Games are an inspiration for us all,” said Vice Adm. Mary Jackson, commander, Navy Installations Command. “Their involvement in the Games brings home the importance of the Navy’s adaptive sports program, which has a significant impact on a wounded warrior’s recovery efforts. I’m looking forward to supporting Team Navy in Chicago this summer.”
The Navy honors the sacrifices of wounded warriors from the Navy and Coast Guard 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 DoD Warrior Games, NWW helps enrollees heal through adaptive sports.
Espino was selected for Team Navy after the competitive Wounded Warrior Trials in February at Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard, California. 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.
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.
“Serving my country means a lot,” said Espino. “My grandfather was a guerrilla fighter in the Philippines fighting alongside American troops during World War II and my mother was in the Philippines Army Nurse Corps. Serving as a Hospital Corpsman with the Marines, I felt like I was doing what I was born to do, like it was the meaning to life.”
For more information about the 2017 DoD Warrior Games, please visit http://www.dodwarriorgames.com/.
