The DoD Warrior Games are underway at Walt Disney World’s ESPN WIde World of Sports. The games bring together hundreds of wounded, ill, and injured active duty and veteran military members to compete against each other for rehabilitation, fun and bragging rights. Last week I was honored to be invited to the game’s media day where I got to meet several athletes, observe practice and learn more about Disney’s longstanding commitment to our country’s military.
David Paschal, the Director for the Department of Defense Warrior Games, explained to me “the Warrior Games is an adaptive sporting event for our sick, ill and injured service members. This year we have over 230 athletes competing from each of the Services, Army, Navy, Air Force Marines. Our Special Operations Command, and we have an international team of 30 athletes.” There are eight individual events and three team events. I also asked Paschal about holding the games at ESPN Wide World of Sports – “What a great relationship with Disney and ESPN. We have a marvelous complex right here that our athletes love. In addition to the athletes, we have a friends and family program, so each of the athletes are funded two friends or family members by Fisher Foundation to participate.”
The Warrior Games run continue through June 30th, and the events are open to the public, so please visit ESPN Wide World of Sports if you’re in the area. If not, you can stream the events on YouTube.
Cappy Surette and Doobie Moseley (author)
Disney’s commitment to the American Armed Forces predates the company itself. Most Disney fans know Walt himself was too young to join the military during World War I so he instead became a Red Cross ambulance driver and served in France. But I wanted to learn as much as I could about what Disney has done and continues to do, so I talked to Disney’s Cappy Surette, Senior Manager Corporate Communicates and himself a 22 year Navy veteran, who gave me a quick history of Disney and the military:
- Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney also served in World War I in the Navy
- Walt and Roy’s older brothers were both in the Army
- During World War II, Walt shut the studio lot down after the attack on Pearl Harbor so he could help with the war effort
- Disney created over 1200 insignia for military branches around the world from World War II up until 1960
- Disney hired Admiral Joe Fowler, who built aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers during World War II, to head Disneyland and later Walt Disney World construction.
- After 38 years in the US Army including being governor of the Panama Canal Zone, Disney hired Joe Potter as vice president of the Florida Project where he was perfectly suited to overseeing a project that included draining 40 square miles of swampland.
- The Shades of Green resort is one of only four Armed Forces Recreation Centers around the world. It was created after 90% of survey respondents put Orlando as their location of choice.
- Disney employs thousands of veterans
- Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom have a daily flag retreat
- Deep discounts are available to eligible veterans and active duty military at the parks, hotels and cruises.
- Disney donates to the military and their families. For example, shortly before the Warrior Games, Disney Publishing delivered over 4000 books to military families and kids at Camp Pendleton, Disney Consumer Products sent care packages to everyone of the 96 Fisher Houses (which are like Ronand McDonald houses for veterans and military families experiencing traumatic times).
- Of course Mickey and Friends also make visits to the Fisher Houses.
- Disney started the Heroes Work Here program which started in 2012 with the goal of hiring 1000 veterans in the first three years. That goal was reached in one year, and the program continues to this day.
- Cast Members can join Disney Salute – a employee resource group geared towards (but not exclusive to) military veterans and their families
- Hosting the Warrior Games in 2022 and 2024 which includes an incredible kickoff private party at the Magic Kingdom and an exclusive patriotic firework show.
Which brings us to the Warrior Games. This is the second time the Warrior Games have been held at Walt Disney World. The athletes compete in 11 events including Wheelchair Rugby, Sitting Volleyball, Track, Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball just to name a few. Having never watched any of these events, I was immediately struck by how competitive everything was. I’m a huge sports fan and it was obvious these athletes were here to compete, even in the practices I was watching. Wheelchair Rugby is, in particular, a very physical sport with lots of rough collisions. I was drawn in immediately to the event and wanted to learn more about the path that brought these men and women to the games. I was honored to have the opportunity to interview three athletes about their past and present:
- Justin “JP” Lane, Retired Combat Engineer, Army
- Brianne Cook, Retired Captain, Marine Corps
- Harley Meagley, United States Special Operations Command
JP and Crystal Lane
From his bio, I know JP Lane’s truck was hit by a 200lb IED blast leaving him in a coma for six weeks, but when asked about his military background, he put it this way, “So I joined the army in 2008 and I joined as a combat engineer, ultimately searching for the bombs in in the roads in Afghanistan, clearing the routes, making sure everybody could go home safe. And, needless to say, I had a blast over there. One that eventually got me pretty good went through my vehicle and took off both my legs. But don't worry, I'm an inch taller, so…”
Harley Meagley
Harley Meagley’s foot was amputated during a deployment to Africa in 2022. He described his path to the Warrior Games: “An adaptive sports coordinator over at Walter Reed got a hold of me and it all started from there. Like he's like, hey, you should go sign up for this … Basically one thing led to another and I got a hold of the Special Operations Command Care Coalition and, you know, just loved everything they are doing and that’s why I can be a part of it and see where I am.”
Brianne Cook
Participating in the Warrior Games is both therapeutic and competitive. I asked Brianne Cook about that combination: “I would say it's both …you're injured and you kind of go through the process of, like, accepting that you're injured and you're like, I will never get to do the things I used to do. But then you come to something like this. You're like, oh, no, I can do the things I used to do. It's just it's a little different. But yeah, I think it's a combo of both because obviously, when we’re out there on the court, like I want to beat them, so I want to beat the Air Force, you know? But it's still the camaraderie that we all are still going through. I think this is like a perfect blend of competitiveness and getting better.”
JP Lane said something similar regarding the camaraderie: “It really is what's awesome about being on Team Army is like we've never met each other before, or maybe some of us have run into each other from base to base or whatever. But now we're on a team focused on bringing home the gold for Team Army. But the cool thing is we don't hate anybody on the other teams either because they're also our brothers and sisters.”
Whether you want pride, inspiration or exhilaration, watch (in person or via YouTube) this year’s Warrior Games from ESPN Wide World of Sports. Thank you Disney for your continued support of the US Military, and thank you to all who serve and their families for making possible everything we have in the U S A.