North Garrison Heights — It’s not the road he would have chosen, but it’s an honor just the same. Marine Staff Sgt. Nathan Lynch, son of John and Guinivere Lynch, represented the Marine Corps team at the 2011 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., a U.S. Paralympics competition for wounded warriors.
The games, which include events that range from sitting volleyball to wheelchair basketball, are sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Lynch, a 1998 graduate of Fort Vancouver High School, said it was an honor to represent the Marine Corps and all the wounded troops who couldn’t compete. He competed in the open 200- and 800-meter track and field events, as well as cycling.
In 2004, Lynch was shocked by a high-voltage wire and burned while stationed in Iraq. He was told he would never walk again and spent 15 months in the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. In 2009, he had spinal implant surgery and, according to Lynch, basically couldn’t move for six months.
Besides competing, Lynch is also instrumental in the organization of the sports camps for the soldiers who are training for the games.
