Four Navy sailors who live in the San Diego region will compete in various sports at the
Department of Defense Warrior Games
, which began Friday.
They are Demetrius Walker, Anfernee “AP” Moore, Hillary Ruff and Jasmine Jew.
Hosted at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, the Warrior Games Challenge celebrates the tenacity of wounded, ill and injured active-duty service members and veterans across the military’s branches. Nearly 200 wounded, ill, and injured warrior athletes will compete.
Th games continue through July 26. Here’s more on each of the Navy’s local competitors:
Demetrius Walker
Hospital Corpsman First Class and San Diego resident Demetrius Walker will compete in archery, cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby during the games.
In a press release, Walker — who joined the Navy in 2011 to earn a college degree and grow in a new setting — said he learned about the Navy’s adaptive sports program from a fellow hospital corpsman who had participated.
According to Walker,
Navy Wounded Warrior
— which coordinates ill, injured and wounded veterans’ non-medical care — provided him with a community that understands him.
“These individuals refuse to cater to their limitations,” Walker said. “I can do more than I think, it just takes being in the right environment. I have the strength to keep going.”
Jasmine Jew
San Diegan Jasmine Jew, Machinist’s Mate First Class, is a contender in archery, field, indoor rowing, precision air sports, swimming and wheelchair basketball at the games.
According to a press release, Jew said she joined the Navy in 2023 to become a part of a larger mission and accelerate her life.
Navy Wounded Warrior has helped Jew rehabilitate after she was injured shortly after she began her career.
“The sports we play really help rehabilitate me and motivate me to be stronger,” Jew said. “Navy Wounded Warrior is constantly giving me confidence and the ability to feel alive.”
AP Moore
At the games, Culinary Specialist Third Class AP Moore, a resident of San Diego, will take part in powerlifting, indoor rowing, track and wheelchair rugby.
According to a press release, he decided in 2020 to join the Navy for a better life, a chance to travel and to finish a degree.
He said that Navy Wounded Warrior has given him a voice again in the world, connecting him with adaptive sports and a network of service members who understand his situation and experiences.
“I couldn’t be luckier to be here,” Moore said.
Hillary Ruff
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El Cajon resident Hillary Ruff, Gunner’s Mate First Class, will cycle, row, swim and compete in field events and sitting volleyball at the games.
She joined the Navy in 2012 to start a career in public safety according to a press release, and wanted to gain more experience in the military after earning her EMT certification.
Today, she plays softball in a local league, cares for her family and service dog — and also serves on the board of
Dogs on Deployment
, an Escondido nonprofit that supports pets during service members’ deployments and relocations.
A member of Ruff’s care team convinced her to compete in adaptive sports.
“She joked that I had no choice, that it would fill my cup again and allow me to be the me I used to be,” Ruff said. “She was right. I gained confidence and found myself surrounded by loving friends who understand the hardship we have all been through.”
