Niceville Local Will Compete In 2024 Warrior Games

In Brief:

Air Force Tech. Sgt. veteran Philip Anderson found renewed purpose through adaptive sports, competing in the 2024 Warrior Games.
The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program and the Wounded Warrior Project significantly aided Anderson’s recovery and reintegration.
Despite his injuries, Anderson’s passion for sports and his supportive community helped him regain his competitive spirit and sense of purpose.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. veteran Philip Anderson has found a renewed sense of purpose and strength through adaptive sports as he competes in the 2024 Warrior Games. Anderson’s journey to the Games is a testament to resilience, determination, and the transformative power of sports.

After completing college, Anderson walked into a recruiter’s office in 2008 and immediately felt a connection to the Air Force. He joined and eventually entered special operations. However, in 2009, Anderson broke his back. Despite staying fit for several years, an ACL repair in 2019 weakened his core and exacerbated his back issues. Coupled with PTSD and other injuries from combat, he medically retired in 2021.

After his ACL repair, Anderson discovered adaptive sports through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program. Although initially hesitant, he embraced the Warrior Games trials in January and found a supportive community of fellow service members who understood his struggles.

Raised southwest of Pittsburgh and now residing in Florida, Anderson has always been passionate about sports. He played collegiate baseball and was active in running and CrossFit for many years. Anderson’s passion for sports continued after his military service, as adaptive sports became crucial to his recovery and reintegration.

Anderson connected with the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) in 2019, a nonprofit organization that significantly affected his recovery. Competing at a high level reignited his competitive spirit and renewed his sense of purpose.

“The biggest thing is it gave me a purpose again,” Anderson said. “There were times where I was just going into the gym, working out for 20 minutes, then I was done. It was just like, what am I working out for? Knowing I’m going to compete in the games, I have to get up at this time, I have to get a morning workout in…it really gave me that purpose.”