Confronting obstacles leads to success.

This is the theme of this year's upcoming Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Care Event.

Approximately 200 Air Force Wounded Warriors and the Army's Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB) soldiers, along with caregivers, coaches, mentors and support personnel, will converge at locations across Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The event begins Aug. 1 at 8 a.m. at Cowan Stadium and ends on Aug. 4 at 4 p.m. at the McChord Fitness Center (Bldg. 729).

Created in 2005 as a Department of Defense and Air Force initiative to provide personalized care to any airman with a combat- or hostile-related illness or injury, the AFW2 aids Wounded Warriors as they recover, rehabilitate, and then return to duty or transition to civilian life.

Numerous military units and civilian organizations such as the Association of the United States Army, Rally Point 6, the Veterans Administration, the Air Force Association, and the Pierce Military Business Alliance are providing assistance.

"This event is about ‘Warrior Pride,'" wrote Robert Snyder, the Air Force Wounded Warrior program coordinator at McChord Field, in an email.

"It's about their abilities, not their disabilities. This event shows them how to continue moving forward by using adaptive sports and other programs."

The Air Force Adaptive Sports Program encourages participation in recreational and competitive adaptive sports events to help recovering servicemembers rehabilitate.

The following is a list of the athletic events and their venues:

• Sitting Volleyball & Wheelchair Basketball:  McChord Fitness Center (Bldg. 729)

• Cycling:  McChord Perimeter Rd. next to the Aerial Port Squadron (Bldg. 1422)

• Nutrition/Yoga:  McChord Fitness Center (Bldg. 729)

• Archery, Air Pistol & Rifle:  MWR Festival Tent located on Lewis Main

• Track & Field:  Cowan Stadium

• Swimming:  Soldiers Field House Pool (Bldg. 3236)

• Rowing:  McVeigh Fitness Center (Bldg. 2160)

Athletic competition, however, is only one avenue to ensure Warriors overcome obstacles to achieve success. Equal emphasis is also given to their caregivers, their mentors and possible employment opportunities.

"This event delivers support to caregivers who are an integral part of the Warriors' recovery and rehabilitation," continued Snyder. "We also encourage Warriors about reaching out to mentors, and we provide employment readiness to those getting ready to transition into the civilian workforce."

Listed below are the locations for caregiver, mentor and employment seminars.

Caregiver Symposium: McChord Chapel Support Center (Bldg. 746).  This three-day session helps Wounded Warrior Caregivers to learn how to better care for their Wounded Warrior and themselves.

Recovering Airmen Mentorship Program (RAMP) Training: Murano Hotel, Tacoma.  This program connects recovering Wounded Warriors to fellow Wounded Warrior mentors to provide guidance, hope and reassurance.

Employment and Career Readiness Boot Camp:  Murano Hotel, Tacoma.  This is a three-day session that helps Wounded Warriors transition into the civilian workforce.  Training sessions are wide-ranging from self-assessment to a career and resource fair.

Success beckons.

"We are pleased to be included in this wonderful program," wrote Amy Tiemeyer, president of the Capt. Meriwether Lewis Chapter of the AUSA. "It will be a great success."  

For more information, visit www.woundedwarrior.af.mil.