FORT BENNING, Ga., (May 27, 2015) -- Sgt. 1st Class Michael McPhall is one of 40 wounded warriors in the nation representing Team Army at the 2015 Warrior Games.

McPhall, an Armor crewmember with 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, recently came home from the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas, with several medals for swimming and wheelchair racing, including gold for the 400- and 1500-meter wheelchair races and the 50-meter breaststroke. The competition determined the Army athletes who will compete in eight sports against Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, British and Special Operations Command teams at the games scheduled for June 19 to 28 at Marine Base Quantico, Virginia.

A Dearborn, Michigan, native, McPhall said he was always athletic until his diagnoses of Type 1 diabetes and eosinophilic fasciitis - an inflammatory disease that affects the movement of the arms and legs - derailed his ability to exercise.

"I used to love running 10 miles, three times a week with the buddies at work," McPhall said. "Suddenly, I couldn't even run a mile. I could barely get out of bed. It was rough, but I found the pool."

McPhall had "always been a fish as a kid," he said, and was determined to see if this form of activity would work for him.

"My first profile said I couldn't do any physical activity, but that ain't me. I see people all the time that let their injury or illness take control of them. I didn't want that to happen. Being me, I was like let me try the pool - and it worked," he said.

Traditional forms of Army PT like running cause McPhall's muscle fascia to swell, but "for some reason in the water, it doesn't swell as much. It's manageable," he said.

Finding a way around his illness in the pool with adaptive reconditioning allowed McPhall to try the sport competitively for the first time last September when he competed in a the swim portion of the Ironman triathlon. At that event, a Fort Benning Warrior Transition Battalion staff member spotted McPhall and put a bug in his ear about the Warrior Games.

That moment opened the floodgates of inspiration for McPhall as he found the opportunity to compete with other wounded, ill and injured service members.

"Some of them have worse problems than I have but they're out there excelling. Injury never slowed them down; they either get better or they just keep on pushing. It inspires me to keep pushing too," he said. "My illnesses have gotten me down, but to see those guys with no legs swimming along, riding bikes and running, it's like wow. That's more than I ever had to worry about."

The competitive spirit doesn't change, said Greg Hernandez, adaptive sports coordinator, Fort Benning WTB.

"Even if your body has been impacted, that doesn't change your desire to compete and win," he said. "What these Soldiers are finding out is they can still have the joy of competition."

"The competitor in me is not gone, I just have a different way of doing it now," McPhall said.

Now that he has earned a spot on the Army Team, McPhall is focused on training intensively for the national Paralympic-style competition. He is scheduled to participate in all wheelchair track and swimming events, as well as sitting volleyball.

McPhall returned from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, May 9 where he participated in a weeklong team-training event to build cohesion and versatility within the Army Team.

"The Warrior Games are a truly inspirational experience. The Army Team is comprised of courageous men and women athletes who have overcome tremendous physical and mental challenges with the same drive and determination that made them great Soldiers," said Col. Chris Toner, commander, U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command and Assistant Surgeon General for Warrior Care and Transition. "Every year they set the bar higher, push each other farther, and together as a team they conquer new challenges."

The goal now is to keep training, get faster and steadily improve his times, McPhall said. He trains daily at Smith Gym and Doughboy Stadium and will head back for more team training at Fort Belvoir on June 2.

"I think it's going to be awesome to compete with the other branches," said McPhall. "There's always been a rivalry between us. It'll be fun and we'll be competitive, but we're all one team still. It's going to be a great time, and the Army is going to bring home the Chairman's Cup."

For more information on the Warrior Transition Command or the Army's Warrior Games team visit: www.WTC.army.mil, follow on Facebook at facebook.com/armyWTC or Twitter at twitter.com/armyWTC.