Veterans a big part of U.S. Paralympic team

Eighteen of the 74 athletes representing Team USA in the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games have military ties.

The Paralympic Games take place March 9-18 in PyeongChang, South Korea. Fans can follow the Games here, and the broadcast schedule can be found here.

A look at the athletes by sport:

Sled hockey

Six veterans are on the U.S. sled hockey team, including Army veterans Jen Lee and Rico Roman, part of the gold medal team in Sochi in 2014. Also on the team are Marine Corps veterans Ralph DeQuebec, Travis Dodson, Luke McDermott and Josh Misiewicz. Dodson joins the sled hockey team after competing as a skier and biathlete in Sochi.

Nordic skiing

Five veterans will represent the U.S. in Nordic skiing, including Army veteran Andy Soule, who earned Team USA’s first Paralympic medal when he won bronze in the biathlon in the 2010 Vancouver games. Other veterans on this year’s team include fellow Army veterans Bryan Price and Jeremy Wagner, Navy veteran Dan Cnossen and Air Force veteran Sean Halsted.

Alpine skiing

The U.S. alpine skiing team includes three veterans in competitors Kevin Burton, a Navy veteran, and Josh Elliott, a Marine Corps veteran. Burton's guide is Marine Corps veteran Brandon Powell-Ashby; Burton was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa in 2010.

Snowboarding

Marine Corps veterans Jimmy Sides and Michael Spivey will represent the U.S. in snowboarding.

Curling

Army veteran Kirk Black will try to help the U.S. wheelchair curling team reach the podium for the first time. He’ll be aided in that quest by Stephen Emt, who played basketball at the U.S. Military Academy for two seasons before ending up in Connecticut after his father’s death.