FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Sgt. Elizabeth Wasil likes sports.
The combat medic didn't realize this fact until she suffered a devastating injury while deployed to Iraq in 2010.
After being medically evacuated to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, she endured two bilateral hip surgeries to repair her damaged frame and 18 months of rehabilitation to learn to walk again.
Most of her rehabilitation involved physical therapy, but Wasil desired to remain in the military. When she surmised that physical therapy wasn't doing the trick, she wheeled herself to the post swimming pool and met a woman who taught her to swim.
That meeting turned out to be life changing for Wasil, because the woman was Stephanie Barnes, the wife of the then commander of the post's Warrior Transition Battalion. And, it turns out Barnes was a pretty good coach because three months later Wasil set a national time standard as a Paralympic swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program (WCAP).
"I swam every day for that three months, and I have the Warrior Games to thank for motivating me to train," she said. "The thing that's surprising is that I had never competed in sports before I got injured. If I hadn't been injured I would have never known about Paralympics or the WCAP. But, once I got the taste of competition, I knew I was hooked."
Capt. Nathaniel Garcia, WCAP executive officer, said Wasil represents the epitome of the WCAP motto: "Soldier First."
"It only takes a few minutes of talking to her to find (out) just how competitive she is," Garcia said. "She's one of those athletes who exudes a vibe of wanting to be great and wanting to do great things for the Army."
Wasil has done nothing but improve since her first foray into competition. This month she broke her own American record in the 200-meter breaststroke and brought home four gold medals and two silvers from the California Classic meet in Yucaipa, California.
"It was a surprising meet, but it was most surprising to break my own record by more than eight seconds," she said. "Usually, a one-second gain is something to be proud of, but I had some extra motivation for that meet. It was the one-year anniversary of a near-death experience for me."
Yes, tragedy struck Wasil yet again in September 2014.
While traveling to a swim competition in London, she developed a sudden respiratory illness. The illness turned severe, developed rapidly and shut down her body. With Wasil unable to breathe on her own, doctors prescribed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment, a life support system that often provides patients with a last-chance at life. She was hooked up to the machine for 10 days.
"One year later, it marked another milestone that made me thankful for the opportunity to compete," she said. "You could chalk up surpassing that record to excitement because I kept thinking that at this time last year I could have died."
Following her 2014 recovery, she recalls returning to Fort Carson for a moment she won't soon forget, the feeling of being overwhelmed when her WCAP teammates welcomed her home with open arms.
"They had no idea what my prognosis was or how long it would take me to heal," she said. "And, even with the Paralympics coming up so soon they didn't pressure me in the slightest. As a result, I wanted to swim for them."
She'll do so again in several meets leading up to the U.S. Paralympic trials in June. In the meantime, she'll also compete for the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field team at the World Military Games this October. She runs the 100, 200 and 1,500 meter and competes in shot put.
"Swimming is my primary sport and that's what I've dedicated the most time and energy toward; but I'll compete in whatever the Army asks me to. I like sports," Wasil said.
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