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Veterans Flex Their Muscles During the Valor Games

Competition provides a sense of community and allows vets to focus on well-being

Johnny Holland, left, fist bumps Bryan McCrickerd after their game of table tennis during Valor Games Southeast in Cameron’s Hall of Honor.
Johnny Holland, left, fist bumps Bryan McCrickerd after their game of table tennis during Valor Games Southeast in Cameron’s Hall of Honor.

Once you return from active duty, it can be difficult to find support as a veteran, says Sarah Bonner, who served 3 years in the U.S. Air Force as a disbursement technician.

“I had a hard time fitting in and figuring out what I was supposed to do,” Bonner says. “I was kind of just watching life go ahead of me.”

She now lives in Lynchburg, Va., following her deployment in Germany.

When Bonner started bicycling with other veterans, she learned about other athletic opportunities and eventually found a community in the Valor Games. 

Alongside Bonner, dozens of former service members competed in the 2022 Valor Games Southeast, hosted by Bridge II Sports. The first day of the event was held at Duke’s Wilson Recreation Center on May 25.

Veterans with physical disabilities compete in sitting volleyball during Valor Games Southeast at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Valor Games were created to help veterans with disabilities build community and overcome their daily mental and physical battles. 

Inside the rec center, veterans bench-pressed, rowed and stretched in anticipation of their turn to test their strength. These activities have taken place annually in the Triangle area for the past decade, but because of the pandemic, this is the first time the athletes have competed on Duke’s campus since 2019.

Other events at Duke included sitting volleyball and table tennis. The games continued May 26 with kayaking, cycling and archery at Lake Crabtree County Park.

Frederick Evans, whose strength earned him first place in the bench pressing activity, lifted 295 pounds. 

He began competing in the games 10 years ago while battling depression.

“I had nothing to do,” Evans says. “And a guy came up to me with a flier and induced me to dabble in sports and that completely changed my life.” 

For veterans, the games can provide a true sense of community, Evans said. And as many veterans struggle with continued stress following active duty, these activities can help them refocus.

“As long as you can adapt anything to your strength, anything is possible,” says Jason Pritchett, who retired as a maintenance manager in the U.S. Marine Corps after 17 years of service. 

Jackie Jones, 54, of Winston Salem returns a table tennis serve. “This is the first time I’ve played [table tennis] since being paralyzed,” said Jones, who suffered a spinal stroke in 2019. “It came back to me like riding a bike.” Pritchett now majors in recreation therapy at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and serves as the vice president of Student Veterans Organization and president of the Association of Recreation Therapy Students.

“Never give up. Never give up,” Pritchett says. “Everybody's going through their own little thing.”

Aalyissa Cooley and Laniyah Oliver are students at North Carolina Central University and summer interns in University Communications at Duke. Photos by Jared Lazarus of Duke Digital and Brand Strategy.

table tennis at Cameron in the Valor Games.