Avant God
First lady Michelle Obama on Monday applauded more than 200 U.S. servicemen for their courage as she helped open the 2012 Warrior Games, a six-day sports competition for wounded soldiers and veterans held in Colorado Springs.
Photo gallery of the opening ceremony
The U.S. Olympic Committee is hosting the third annual games, featuring active-duty soldiers and veterans in competitions ranging from swimming to shooting to track and field. Most events will be held at the Olympic Training Center, and for the first time, the British armed forces sent an 18-member contingent.
Mrs. Obama told the athletes that they are an inspiration for all Americans.
“Every competitor here has faced adversity that most of us can never imagine,” she said. “No matter how seriously you are injured, no matter what obstacles or setbacks you face, you just keep moving forward.”
Mrs. Obama has taken a special interest in the welfare of war veterans and their families. Along with Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, Mrs. Obama kicked off her, Joining Forces, during a 2011 visit to Fountain-Fort Carson High School.
She was joined Monday by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and USOC chairman Scott Blackmun.
Track and field competitor Ivan Castro — blinded by a 2006 mortar attack near Baghdad — welcomed the first lady’s appearance.
“It goes to show that from the top down, everybody is involved with our service members,” said Castro, an Army Special Forces captain stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Mrs. Obama also met Monday with volunteers for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. Colorado, along with Arizona, where she was traveling later Monday, are key states in the presidential election.
It will be a big month in the Pikes Peak region for the Obamas. President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the Air Force Academy’s may 23 graduation rites.
On Monday, Mrs. Obama stopped at the Hillside Community Center, 925 South Institute St., where Fountain businesswoman Veronica Bila introduced her to the crowd.
“That was the greatest honor I’ve ever had,” Bila said of meeting Mrs. Obama. “She’s a wonderful, genuine person.”
She said Mrs. Obama thanked the volunteers for their service and encouraged them to keep up their work.
Retired Army 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell and Capt. Simon Maxwell of the British Royal Marines served as torch bearers at the games’ opening ceremony.
Stockwell was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart after she lost her left leg in a 2004 roadside bombing in Baghdad. A triathlete, she is a Paralympian who swam at the Beijing games in 2008.
“It’s become a way of life,” Stockwell said. “It makes me feel whole again.”
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First Lady Michelle Obama shares a moment with Retired Army 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell during the opening ceremony for the Warrior Games was held at the OTC on Monday, April 30, 2012. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE
First Lady Michelle Obama shares a moment with Retired Army 1st Lt. Melissa Stockwell during the opening ceremony for the Warrior Games was held at the OTC on Monday, April 30, 2012. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE
Members of the Marine team cheer during the opening ceremony for the Warrior Games at the OTC on Monday, April 30, 2012. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE