September 2011 - Achilles International

San Diego Marathon
On June 5th we had 25 Achilles Freedom Teamers mostly from
Balboa Naval Hospital, the San Diego VA, and the Long Beach
VA, compete in the 2011 Rock and Roll San Diego Marathon
and half marathon. Freedom Teamer Danny Palacios placed
1st in the handcycle division with a time of 1 hour 41 minutes!
This was his first win and we were all overjoyed as he trained
so hard for this day! We also had Corey Peterson, Miss Wheelchair
California 2011 and a former Marine, compete in the marathon
with her husband! Many thanks to U-HAUL for sponsoring
the team for this event. Also thanks to Rob Lewis of the
DAV and Golden Corral for hosting a prerace dinner at Dick's
Last Resort; Marla Knox and Amanda Rogers of Balboa
Naval Hospital for all their support throughout the weekend;
Mark Bauckman and his Mission Continues crew; and Christina
Sharp of Invacare for volunteering with us on race day,
and to Angela Marzari who took incredible photos of the team
throughout the weekend. Also thank you to Tracy Sundlan and
Jennifer Nanista of the Competitor Group for making special
accommodations for this team each year.
Achilles FREEDOM TEAM
Hope & Possibility
Achilles hosted 26 members of the Achilles Freedom Team of
Wounded Veterans and their families from Walter Reed for the
Achilles Hope and Possibility weekend. Yankee Bus provided
a complimentary bus for the team with a police escort from DC
to NYC lead by a hundred NAM KNIGHTS on motorcycles.
The Union League Club (ULC) provided complimentary hotel
rooms and meals for the team for the entire weekend. On Friday
night the team was honored on center field before the Yankees
took on the Colorado Rockies. The team was also given
incredible seats at the game. Freedom Team member and arm
amputee SSGT Mike Kacer had an especially memorable night
when he caught a fly ball during the game. The catch was #4 on
ESPN’s top ten plays. The clip instantly went viral and Kacer's
incredible catch was seen across the world. From appearances
on Fox and Friends to making the front page of an Israeli newspaper,
Kacer was an overnight superstar. When asked how he
felt about this media attention, he replied that he was happy to
get the word out about how much Achilles has helped him with
his recovery!
Saturday was another eventful day. The team fueled up with a
gourmet breakfast hosted by ULC volunteers, and then headed
downstairs where, thanks to the NYPD, we were able to hold a
handcycle tune up on 36th street. Afternoon activities included
a complimentary ride on the Beast and a special private tour
courtesy of Silverstein Properties and Sal Lifrieri of Tower
7 of the World Trade Center overlooking Ground Zero. Then
the team paid respects to all those who have fallen at the 9.11
Tribute Museum.
That evening the ULC hosted a pre Hope & Possibility dinner
for the Freedom Team. The night began with a solemn hand-
Top row l-r: Freedom Team member from Balboa greets his wife after the race; Mark and
Jon Stewart; Elliot Miller and guide celebrate in San Diego; Danny Palacios gets ready t
Nicely, joined by his wife and platoon-mates, finished H&P in an incredible time of 66 min
on the field before the Yankee game; Richard Whitehead congratulates Dan Cnosse
2 Winter 2011