Blake Hall
Prince Harry, First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden visited wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir this morning to formally launch the 2016 Invictus Games.
During the visit, Prince Harry shook hands with American veterans and even embraced a former comrade he had served with in Afghanistan. A few veterans treated the prince to some jazz music and played so well that Harry said, “If I played an instrument, I’d join the band.”
The American veterans competing in the upcoming Invictus Games on Team USA also played a basketball game to show off their chops to the British royal.
Iraq War veteran Sergeant First Class Kelsey Swanson said he enjoyed meeting Harry and looks forward to participating in the Invictus Games in Orlando.
“I knew he had served and I though that was pretty cool. He didn’t have to go to Afghanistan but he chose to go and he did,” Swanson said. “This means a lot to the guys. They look forward to competing, to getting out of their rooms and to showing what they can do. Personally, I can’t wait to get involved.”
Inspired by the American-born Wounded Warrior Games, Prince Harry decided to found the Invictus Games in 2014. This new Paralympic tournament is named after the term invictus, which means ‘unconquered, undefeated’ in Latin. At the Fort Belvoir event, Prince Harry wore a wrist band that referenced a poem called Invictus: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”
This past summer, Prince Harry said that he is constantly awe-struck by the strength and resilience of wounded warriors.
“As I’ve continued to work with wounded servicemen and women, I’ve seen the power of wounded soldiers’ stories to inspire others,” Prince Harry said. “For every competitor last September [2014], there are hundreds of others from around the world who would benefit from the same opportunity. I wanted other cities and countries to look at the competition – what it meant to those taking part and those who saw it – and take up the challenge of the next Invictus Games.
“I have no doubt that the USA will set the bar even higher than London did and put on a great show,” he added.