Orlando, Florida. (July 4, 2024): Worse than the physical damage of an illness or injury is the sense that future participation in sports is beyond your reach. This is particularly true for America’s injured warriors on their road to recovery. One such warrior is Technical Sergeant (retired) Jessica Derhammer, seen here hugging her kids after medaling in the 2024 Department of Defense Warrior Games (Credit photo by Anthony Beauchamp). Derhammer competed in eight individual sports—powerlifting, cycling, shooting, archery, track and field, swimming, and indoor rowing—for the title of Ultimate Champion. Derhammer has had a long road to recovery after being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in January 2021.
The Department of Defense Warrior Games is an annual event, first held in 2010, that celebrates the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill, and injured active duty and veteran service members. This year, the DoD Warrior Games will return to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida.
The Warrior Games feature “Adaptive Sports,” recreational competition with minor modifications to allow athletes to participate despite their illness or injury. Events and equipment are modified to allow warriors to compete in archery, cycling, volleyball, swimming, track, field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, shooting, indoor rowing, and powerlifting.
Teams include those with upper-body, lower-body, and spinal cord injuries, as well as warriors suffering from traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, serious illness, and post-traumatic stress. The U.S. military views adaptive sports as one of many tools to help troops heal and return from injuries. Each service sponsors Care events to help educate injured warriors on adaptability, resiliency, and making the necessary transitions to participate fully in life. Often, these warriors return the favor as ambassadors, care givers, and advocates for adaptive sports.
This year marks the 14th anniversary where athletes from the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Special Operations Command, and the Australian Defense Force come to compete in this adaptive sports competition.