Veterans recharge lives in NYC marathon
By Staff Sgt. Shad Eidson
Air Force Print News
Of the 38,000 runners in the NewYork City Marathon Nov. 5, 50 dis-abled veterans ran on the AchillesFreedom Team of ‘wounded veter-ans’.While most runners push them-selves to exhaustion through the26.2 miles of urban roads, MonicaSzymanski took on the marathon tore-energize her life.“I’m still in shock being able toaccomplish it,” said Mrs.Szymanski, a disabled veteran andformer Air Force Reserve seniorairman. “I have good days and baddays. Today was more of a phe-nomenal day.”Four years ago, just a few weeksafter her father died of cancer, Mrs.Szymanski was diagnosed withcancer. At the time, she was the solecaregiver for her 3-month-old sonwhile her husband was deployed.Because of complications withremoving the cancerous mass, sheopted to have her left leg amputatedduring the required surgery.“The aftermath is very challeng-ing. What inspires me is knowingthat I can see my son and my hus-band everyday,” Mrs. Szymanskisaid.Ayear after her cancer, she metAchilles members who encouragedher. However, it wasn’t until shesaw the strength and will of dis-abled veterans, recovering fromtheir injuries at Walter Reed ArmyMedical Center, that their determi-nation would motivate her to pushto new limits.The recharge she gains at themarathon doesn’t come from finish-ing in 3:10:49 either. It comes fromher “wounded warrior” teammateson the Achilles Freedom Team.This year’s group of 50 and theirinspiration fills her with a strongerpurpose – just as they have in twoof the city’s previous marathons.“I think that it’s great they’re outhere,” said Officer Jimmy Griffinwith the New York PoliceDepartment.They’re an inspiration to a lot of people, and they’re showing thathaving a disability isn’t a handicap,he said.The Freedom Team is part of theAchilles Track Club, an internation-al, nonprofit organization that sup-ports people with all types of dis-abilities to participate in main-stream athletics, promote personalachievement and enhance self-esteem.Nearly 200 Achilles athletescompeted this year, said MaryBryant, Achilles Freedom Teamdirector. And their successes todaycouldn’t have happened withoutmore than 30 members from NewYork City’s fire and police depart-ments. They volunteered their off-duty time to transport the athletesand their gear to and from the air-port, hotels and race events.Mrs. Szymanski plans to start anAchilles Chapter in Ohio where herhusband is now stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.“I know that there are others outthere who are disabled that want toget out,” she said. “I know that I amnot the only one who wants to enjoylife outside the house and not feelthat you’re limited so where canyou go.”Disabled veterans who wouldlike to join the Freedom Team canvisit www.achillestrackclub.org.
By Donna Miles
American Forces PressService
With National VeteransAwareness Week underway and the nationalVeterans Day observanceon Nov. 11, the VeteransAffairs secretary is urgingall veterans to show theirpride by wearing their mil-itary medals.R. James Nicholson's"Veterans Pride" initiativecalls on veterans to wearthe medals they earnedwhile in uniform thisVeterans Day to "letAmerica know who you areand what you did for free-dom," he said.The campaign is mod-eled after a tradition inAustralia and NewZealand, countries thathonor the Australian andNew Zealand Army Corps,or ANZAC, every April 25.The observance originallycommemorated more than8,000 Australians killedduring the battle of Gallipoli during World WarI, but now honors allAustralian and NewZealand veterans.Last year, while attend-ing ANZAC ceremonies inSydney, SecretaryNicholson said he wasstruck to see all the veter-ans and surviving familymembers wearing theirmilitary medals and cam-paign ribbons."It focused public prideand attention on those vet-erans as individuals withpersonal histories of serv-ice and sacrifice for thecommon good," he noted ina message to veterans."That is why I am callingon America's veterans towear their military medalsthis Veterans Day, Nov. 11,2006."Secretary Nicholson andleaders of major veteransgroups announced the ini-tiative during an Oct. 18ceremony here at the VAheadquarters.Wearing their medals, hesaid, "will demonstrate thedeep pride our veteranshave in their military serv-ice and bring Veterans Dayhome to all American citi-zens.""We expect Americanswill see our decoratedheroes unite in spirit at cer-emonies, in parades andelsewhere as a compellingsymbol of courage and sac-rifice on Veterans Day, theday we set aside to thankthose who served and safe-guarded our national secu-rity," Secretary Nicholsonsaid at the ceremony.The secretary and theveterans group leadershope to start a new tradi-tion in which U.S. veteranswear their military medalsevery Veterans Day,Memorial Day and Fourthof July.More information aboutthe Veterans Pride cam-paign is posted on the VAWeb site. The site alsohelps veterans determinewhere to go to replace lostmedals or to confirm whichdecorations they're entitledto wear.
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Nov. 10, 2006Hickam Kukini
Veterans urged to wear military medals on Veterans Day
Achilles Freedom Team ‘wound-ed warrior’Monica Szymanskigets help with her hand-crankcycle from New York FireDepartment volunteers after shecompleted the New York CityMarathon Nov. 5. The formerReserve senior airman, who losther leg due to cancer, joinednearly 50 disabled veterans forthe marathon.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Shad Eidson
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