American Legion Family members help distribute gear, give thanks to participants at the Army Warrior Trials at West Point.
Participants in the recent Army Warrior Trials at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point received recognition and gifts from The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors (OCW) program.
The Army Trials, similar to the Marine Corps Trials, are a multi-sport paralympic-style invitational made up of more than 100 wounded servicemembers and veterans. They participated in archery, basketball, cycling, track and field, swimming, shooting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. Participants included athletes with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, serious illnesses and amputations.
American Legion Family members handed out about 200 OCW backpacks with water bottles and baseball caps on two nights preceding the opening ceremonies for the games, which concluded on June 19.
More than $17,000 worth of donations were allocated for the wounded warriors for the gifts, as well as medals, plaques and trophies that were awarded.
The U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command hosted the trials, which determine the Army athletes who will compete at the 2014 Warrior Games this fall in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Warrior Games, a unique partnership between the Department of Defense and the U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program, is a sports competition for wounded servicemembers and veterans representing all branches of the military.
- Operation Comfort Warriors