[caption id=“attachment_5729” align=“aligncenter” width=“450” caption=“Retired Air Force Staff Sergeant Stacy Pearsall rallies support from fans during Air Force's seated volleyball game against Navy/Coast Guard on May 18, 2011. (Photo: Samantha Quigley / USO)”][/caption]

The 24-member Air Force team’s spirits are sky high as the second annual Warrior Games commence.

We had a chance to speak with retired Staff Sergeant Jason Morgan just after completing the 100-meter wheelchair race.

“It’s been really exciting,” he said. “I love the camaraderie of feeling a part of the Air Force team again, because I’ve been out for 11 years.

“Everyone here has been supporting me and each other. [We’re] learning from one other – not just how to race but how to deal with these tragic things we’ve had to go through in life.”

Next up for Morgan will be wheelchair basketball and swimming events.

Retired Staff Sergeant Stacy Pearsall, who suffers from traumatic brain injury and PTS from multiple IED explosions in Iraq, will be participating in multiple track and field events, having already won a gold medal on the first day.

“I participated in the games last year and I’m here because I want to set goals for myself. But last year I found out it wasn’t necessarily about achieving those goals but being inspired,” she said. “Not just from my own service, but from other branches of service as well. The one thing I found most motivational was watching a triple amputee swim in the pool… Something I can’t even do with all my limbs. If that doesn’t inspire a person, what does?”

There’s no question that everyone who attends the Warrior Games, whether a participant or spectator, leaves full of hope and inspiration. – Vyque White, USO