Chart Shows War Veterans' Contribution To U.S. Paralympics Team

During the ongoing 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, 16 veterans join the U.S. team as part of 225 athletes competing for the nation between August 28 and September 8.

There is a longstanding link between the U.S. military and the Paralympics, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes, in particular when it comes to wheelchair football, which was originally used as a rehabilitation activity for veterans.

The concept of the Paralympics dates back to 1948, when they were called the Stoke Mandeville Games. The event was initially an archery competition for veterans across two hospitals that was purposefully kick-started on the day of the Olympics in London, the first Games held after World War II.

Ever since, veterans have played a key role in the U.S. team's make-up, and in 2004 the committee launched the Paralympic Military Program which has camps and clinics held across the country to introduce injured, wounded, and ill soldiers to paralympic sports in local communities.