Quantico, Va. -- 40 Marines will compete for the gold this week at the Warrior Games in Chicago. For seasoned competitors, this is another chance at victory. For first-year athletes, like Lance Cpl. Andrew Harris, this is a new opportunity to leave his mark and highlight the hard work invested in his recovery.
A natural athlete, Harris played soccer, football and volleyball before joining the Marine Corps. He trained nearly every day for the past few months and this week he’s competing in an impressive five events, including track and field, archery, cycling and volleyball.
A native of Thorton, Colorado — and a huge Denver Broncos fan — he joined the Marines for the physical and mental challenge.
“I knew I could gather new skills and assets to improve myself, while gaining life experience along the way,” he says.
A field radio operator, Harris came to Wounded Warrior Battalion-West after a cancer diagnosis. He then underwent two months of chemotherapy.
“I’m currently recovering from residual effects from treatment and getting back into shape again has been my goal,” he adds.
Harris credits the Wounded Warrior Regiment with the success of his recovery: “They have given me nothing but resources and phenomenal staff to better suit my needs for recovery and have given me encouragement.”
Remaining competitive has also helped — both physically and mentally.
“Adaptive sports have given me a way to be competitive even while I’m going through my recovery process,” Harris says. “I’m looking forward to seated volleyball the most at the Games. I love team sports and competition, so it should be interesting.”
Follow Lance Cpl. Harris and the rest of #TeamMarineCorps live from the 2017 Warrior Games. Use #warriorgames and #teammarinecorps to track the conversation on social media, or follow the Wounded Warrior Regiment’s Facebook and Twitter pages for live video and event updates all throughout the trials.