Operation Comfort Paralympic Medalists

RICO ROMAN, JEN LEE, LUKE McDERMOTT, TRAVIS DODSON

GOLD MEDALISTS IN THE 2018 WINTER PARALYMPICS IN SLED HOCKEY!!!

ANDREW “ANDY” SOULE

GOLD MEDALIST 1.1km SIT SPRINT & BRONZE MEDAL 12.5 BIATHLON!!!!

RICO, JEN AND LUKE RECOVERED AT BROOKE ARMY MEDICAL CENTER (BAMC) AFTER SERVING IN IRAQ. NEVER HAVING PLAYED SLED HOCKEY BEFORE, IT WAS A NEW CHALLENGE BUT ONCE THEY TRIED SLED HOCKEY, THE CHALLENGE WAS ON! ALL THREE PLAYED ON OPERATION COMFORT’S SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE SLED HOCKEY TEAM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. RICO AND JEN WON THE GOLD MEDAL IN THE 2014 PARALYMPICS IN SOCHI, RUSSIA. LUKE McDERMOTT, WHILE SITTING NEXT TO ME IN SOCHI, LUKE TURNED TO ME AND SAID, “I’M GOING TO BE ON THE PARALYMPIC SLED HOCKEY TEAM IN PYONGYANG 2018!” TRUE TO HIS WORD, HE WAS! WHILE TRAVIS DID NOT PLAY SLED HOCKEY UNTIL HE MOVED TO ILLINOIS, HE DID CYCLE WITH OPERATION COMFORT AND WE COULDN’T BE MORE PROUD OF ALL OF THEM FOR THEIR INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!!

ANDY SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN AND RECOVERED AT BAMC IN 2005, WHERE HE TOOK UP HANDCYCLING WITH OPERATION COMFORT AND HE DID PLAY A BIT OF HOCKEY WITH US. AFTER BEING INTRODUCED TO NORDIC SKIING, HE WAS HOOKED, AND FROM THEN AFTER, SKIING WAS HIS SPORT. ANDY WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN TO MEDAL IN THE BIATHLON WHEN HE WON THE BRONZE MEDAL IN THE 2010 PARALYMPICS IN VANCOVER. WINNING BOTH THE GOLD MEDAL AND THE BRONZE MEDAL IN PYEONCHANGE WAS ICING ON THE CAKE!

TO SEE IN PERSON, OUR SLED HOCKEY PLAYERS AND ANDY COME IN WITH THE GOLD MEDAL, WAS A WONDERFUL AND HAPPY EVENT. I HAVE ALWAYS SAID, THESE MEN HAVE FOUGHT FOR THEIR COUNTRY AND NOW THEY HAVE PLAYED FOR THEIR COUNTRY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF COMPETITION, AND WHEN THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER WAS PLAYED, IT MEANT MORE TO THEM THAN ANYONE IN HEARING RANGE!

OPERATION COMFORT IS VERY PROUD OF THEM AND I KNOW YOU ARE TOO!!!

JANIS ROZNOWSKI