Hawaii-Based Soldiers add to medal count at Warrior Games 2014

By Ana Allen, PRMCOctober 3, 2014

PRMC Soldier wins Gold, Silver at 2014 Warrior Games
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Maj. Raymond O'Donnell, Pacific Regional Medical Command, Hawaii, a member of the Army Team, swims laps in preparation for the swim event during the 2014 Warrior Games at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 30, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
WTB-Hawaii Soldier earns two silver medals at 2014 Warrior Games
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. Kawaiola Nahale, Warrior Transition Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, swims a preliminary race during the 2014 Warrior Games at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sept. 30, 2014. More than 200 wounded, il... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Army team wounded warrior athletes, Maj. Ray O'Donnell, Pacific Regional Medical Command (PRMC) and Sgt. Kawaiola Nahale, Warrior Transition Battalion - Hawaii (WTB-Hawaii) medaled in the Warrior Games Swimming competition Sept. 31, 2014 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Co.

O'Donnell takes home two Gold and a Silver Medal in the S10 division and a Silver Medal in the SB9 Class while Nahale earns a Gold Medal in the Women's 50 Meter Breaststroke and two Silver Medals in the Open Class swimming division.

Their victories contributed to the Army team winning 26 medals in the Warrior Games swimming event overall.

O'Donnell, who sustained polytrauma in 2007, says he feels honored to have been selected to represent the Army and has trained hard daily since the Army Trials earlier this year in preparation for the competition. "The fact that I'm able to complete in sports again, I feel so fortunate. But most of all it's important to remember that we all made it home. Everybody who's competing here made it home and it's so important for us to pay tribute and respect to the ultimate sacrifice paid by those who didn't come home."

Nalahe, a breast cancer survivor, says participating in the games has given her an opportunity to focus on her strength. "I can just be around swimmers. I don't have to think about what happened. Here I can tell another athlete I had cancer and they are like, 'ok, get in the water and push', and that's what I like about it."

According to a Warrior Transition Command (WTC) press release, the athlete's performance exemplified the resilient spirit of all Soldiers.

Since 2010, approximately 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and Veterans have competed annually at the Warrior Games, a unique partnership between the Department of Defense and U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program. Athletes representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations compete for gold in each of seven sports:

• Archery

• Cycling

• Shooting

• Sitting Volleyball

• Swimming

• Track and Field

• Wheelchair Basketball

Related Links:

Army.mil: Ready and Resilient

2014 Warrior Games