For British army rifleman David Cousins, the 2016 Department of Defense Warrior Games competition at the U.S. Military Academy here is full of new experiences.
Cousins, who served two years in the army reserve before he got asthma from his civilian job as a builder’s laborer, said this is his first visit to the United States, and his first time participating in an athletic competition of this level.
“It’s a very big experience; I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m happy to be back to being able to represent my country,” he said.
About 250 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command and United Kingdom armed forces will compete for gold in shooting, archery, cycling, track and field, swimming, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball here until June 21.
Family Military Tradition
Cousins will compete in archery and shooting. He said he joined the military because he has had family in the British armed forces as far back as World War I. “I just wanted to follow in their footsteps,” he said proudly.
As he was going through his recovery, Cousins said, he learned about adaptive sports and picked up archery for the first time. “It helped me an awful lot,” he added. “I enjoy getting in ‘the zone’ and being able to take out the stressors of the day on the targets. It’s such a great sport. It’s so inclusive. It doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female, able bodied or disabled, you can compete.”
Cousins said his favorite part of the games so far has been the camaraderie among the teams. “I’ve quite enjoyed it,” he added. “There’s been a bit of banter, especially between us and the Yanks.”
Wounded, ill or injured service members or veterans having trouble with their recovery should seek resources that can help them and participate in adaptive sports, Cousins said.
“Try and get help, even if it’s just a friend,” he said. “It’s well worth it. Never let people tell you that you can’t do something. And if they do, prove them wrong.”
Cousins said he hopes to win, but whether he wins or loses, he’s just happy to be competing. His goal is to continue to train and improve so that he can compete at the Invictus Games at the national level and continue earning firsts, he added.