Craig 'Billy' Meeks, poses for a photo with his wife Erin and six-month-old son Billy Jase Meeks at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas March 31, 2015. Craig Meeks was competing in the Army Trials for a spot on the Army's team in the upcoming 2015 Departmen...
Army veteran Staff Sgt. Billy Meeks took home a gold and silver medal in both team and individual recurve archery at the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Quantico, Va., June 22, 2015. Team Army took a total of four gold medals, one silver ...
QUANTICO, Va. (Army News Service, June 24, 2015) -- Veteran Army policeman Sgt. Billy Meeks is taking home both a silver medal in individual recurve archery and a gold medal in team recurve archery from the 2015 DOD Warrior Games here.
During the archery competition here June 22, 2015, Meeks earned both a goal and silver medal for his mastery with the compound bow.
First, Meeks and Team Army archers veteran Sgt. Sean Hook and Army Reserve Spc. Sydney Davis grabbed the team one of four golds with their team performance on the recurve bow.
Later, Meeks earned the silver in individual competition. Teammate Hook took home the gold in that competition.
Meeks said that he and Hook planned and practiced to go head-to-head for the gold and silver in the individual competition on recurve bow.
"Me and Sean Hook actually trained so we could shoot together and make it to where we came out - in the silver/gold match," Meeks said. "Both of us shot our average, which is what we came out to do. That was the whole plan: shoot your game one arrow at a time. What happens, happens. If we win, we win. If not, we know we did our best."
Meeks competed in the 2014 Warrior Games as well. But last year, something was missing from the competition: his wife in the stands. Last year, his wife delivered their son. When they first found out her due date, he initially wasn't going to attend the 2014 Warrior Games.
"He originally said, 'I won't go,'" Erin Meeks said. "I told him, 'Yes you will. You're going to go.' The labor worked out just fine; my mom was there. I sent him pictures, and we were in touch with him the whole day. It was an interesting two weeks. "
That was last year. But this year in the stands, cheering on Meeks and the team, was Erin and their new son. Meeks said it made a difference.
"That definitely helped a lot," he said. "If I need to reset or something like that, I can go back in between ends, go say hi, give her a kiss, give him a kiss and come back and actually get my focus back to my family to where I need it to be anyway."
Billy and Erin have been married for three years and met through mutual friends. Erin supports and shares Billy's love or archery. His love for the sport began during a senior leadership course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. During the course, the local Military Police Association held an archery tournament, and he was hooked. Billy went to a pawn shop and bought bows for him and Erin.
"I had never thought about doing this sport until he came home with the bows but I like archery because it's mentally challenging," Erin said. "I appreciate that he's gotten me into it, and I love shooting with him because we can do it together."
Billy came to realize that archery would help him deal with the post-traumatic stress he incurred from multiple deployments to Iraq. After almost 19 years of active-duty service, he was medically retired from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armor Division, Special Troops Battalion at Fort Bliss, Texas.
"I didn't even realize I was injured at first," Billy said. "It took one of my first sergeants sitting me down, talking to me and telling me I needed to seek help. I knew my body hurt but mentally, I had no idea I was hurt. My first sergeant said, 'You need to come out and come forward with this.' I talked to a physician assistant about my traumatic brain injury and about my multiple outbursts at work and stuff like that. He said I needed to go to mental health on my own, and I realized something was wrong with me."
He said the biggest step was acceptance.
"I miss being in the Army and leading my Soldiers, but it feels nice knowing I'm going to be there for my family all the time now," said the Abilene, Texas, native.
He said the Team Army is like his second family.
"Archery is very calming," Billy said. "It's usually just a one-person sport, but you know that you have teammates here to back you up even though you know you're shooting against them."
Billy shoots at local competitions at least once a month, and Erin tries to watch him compete as much as possible.
"I go to as many as I can," she said. "I want to support him, and I enjoy watching him shoot in different types of competitions. He used to play baseball too. He's fun to watch compete because he's very competitive and athletic. He's just fun to watch."
Erin competes as well, but she said she is not on the same level as her husband.
"We're working on me competing in different levels and being more competitive than I have been in the past," she said.
Their son, Billy Jase Meeks, is now almost 9 months old, and may learn archery when he gets older.
"I have a feeling he'll be shooting Nerf arrows as soon as he can," Erin said. "Billy already has his eye set on different kid's bows for him. He's an archer in the making."
Erin's father, David Brown, goes to the tournaments with them, and makes homemade recurve bows. He attended the Army Trials earlier this year, and said he was proud to watch Billy, or as he calls him, Craig, earn a gold medal in the men's recurve in archery and a bronze medal in the men's air pistol.
"I like watching them compete; I'm proud of them. They're my kids," Brown said. "Craig is rather good. He is one of many wounded warriors who are trying to accomplish something in spite of their injuries. I encourage all of them to take pride in being able to overcome their injuries and to take pride in what they did for our country."
Billy encourages wounded warriors considering adaptive sports to never give up on their goals.
"Don't give up on yourself; don't give up on what you're trying to accomplish," Billy said. "If you have a goal set in life, continue with that goal. There are people out there who are double and triple amputees who are competing. It doesn't matter what illness or injury you have, continue with the goals you have, make new goals and make yourself better."
Related Links:
Adaptive Sports help Wounded Soldiers Compete in DoD Warrior Games
Army team gets all gold during DOD Warrior Games archery
Social Sharing