LAS VEGAS, Nev. --
"Most of us are familiar with the paradigm that states 'hard work leads to success which leads to happiness,' but this is a false reality. We now understand that happiness leads to the ability to work harder which leads to success. This is what we instill in our athletes - truly enjoy and be happy about what you are doing first so you can work harder at it and ultimately succeed." - Bobby Brewer, Air Force Wounded Warrior Program head swim coach
Freddie Rosario retired March 1, 2016, as a technical sergeant out of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. During his military career, he served as both a Command and Control Battle Management Operations technician and Chaplain Assistant. The New Jersey native dedicated 15 years of honorable service to his country that included five combat deployments.
"I was among the first command and control Airmen on the ground in Iraq back in March 2003," Rosario stated. "I also served time in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan and Pakistan. The injuries I sustained were out of Forward Operating Base Torkham."
"The conditions out there for us were extremely hostile," he continued. "I suffered the loss of my battle buddy and witnessed a number of other attacks that contributed to my diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder. I sustained a traumatic brain injury during a convoy mission, and I developed an abnormal eye growth that covered the majority of one of my eyes, significantly limiting my vision."
Rosario underwent surgery to remove the growth in the hope of regaining full use of his affected eye, but the surgery was unsuccessful. Sadly, the growth returned more aggressively following the procedure and left him with another difficult challenge to face.
"My health team told me I could opt for another surgery, but that there was a chance it could cause permanent blindness in that eye," Rosario said. "I didn't want to run that risk; limited vision was still a better alternative to no vision at all."
It was not long before the AFW2 reached out to Rosario regarding his medical board evaluation with information about the program and an invitation to attend a program camp.
"They were scheduled to host a camp in Colorado at an equestrian facility centered around mental, physical and spiritual rehabilitation," said Rosario. "We learned to ride and care for horses, compete in team obstacles, went rock climbing and got to fly fish. It was the most fun I had been able to enjoy since sustaining my injuries."
An additional four care events would lead to Rosario deciding to become a competitor during his first AF Trials in 2016, which led him to becoming an athletic hopeful for the 2016 Warrior Games.
"I competed in cycling, swimming, and track and field," Rosario said. "I was selected for the alternate team, but was moved to the primary team a week before arriving at the 2016 Warrior Games. I won 10 medals during that competition."
The AFW2 Adaptive & Rehabilitative Sports program is designed to provide opportunities for recovering service members to develop independence, confidence and fitness through sports. Athletes are introduced to healthy behavior changes, stress management techniques, mental health resources, nutrition and weight management, and targeted physical fitness activities.
"What many fail to realize about the adaptive sports program is that we compete at the level of the most impaired athlete," Rosario stated. "With regard to swimming, if I compete against a completely blind athlete, I am required to wear special blackout goggles to simulate that limitation for myself during competition to maintain a level playing field.
"I train several days per week with those goggles to anticipate that additional challenge for myself," he continued. "That level of training requires an intense amount of patience - counting and stretching out my strokes, training with a tapper who utilizes a special rod to notify the swimmer of turn prep to avoid walls, and working with coaches to perfect no-sight dives off the starting blocks."
Despite these challenges, Rosario claims he is more confident, determined, focused and competitive this year than last.
"I remember arriving at last year's Warrior Games and being put into the tandem cycling category," Rosario said. "I had never competed or even performed that sport before. The coaches scrambled to find me a partner and ultimately matched me with someone else who, like myself, had no experience with tandem cycling.
"So there we were, struggling to bond and gain some basic skill over the sport to compete against these duos who had spent months training together and developing as a team," he continued. "Well, my partner and I rode tandem at West Point and won bronze!"
Rosario attributes the third-place win not only to tenacity, but the familial bond shared by those in the AFW2.
"Those would definitely be my two favorite aspects of this program: competing and being a wounded warrior program athlete, and the family we share here among competitors and the staff," Rosario stated. "These amazing people truly lift you up and boost your morale when you don't even want to wake up in the morning or move at all - we all breath so much life into each other."
And as for the competitive aspect of the program, Rosario states these trials and games are no joke.
"This all requires top-level preparation and training," he said. "All of the athletes here are trained to their absolute prime and are all driven to win. These trials are a small sample of what awaits if we compete hard enough to earn a spot on the team for the Warrior Games.
"And the beautiful thing about competing is about gaining so much more than just a win," Rosario continued. "When you are in your event, you are not necessarily thinking about outside forces or issues; you release everything to focus on the competition at hand and doing your best. There is something so peaceful in those moments. Finishing also gives you a sense of accomplishment, and for me, that pride in doing something I never thought I could while representing the Air Force is one of the most uniquely humbling experiences."
For more information about Air Force personnel programs, go to myPers. Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following these instructions.