Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Eugene Tatom II, a disabled Marine Corps veteran from Philadelphia, Pa., is competing in the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, being held through July 8 in Anchorage, Alaska. With more than 550 athletes from 46 states, Puerto Rico and Great Britain, this is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. All athletes are military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations or other disabilities. Tatom, 62, a combat-wounded veteran of Vietnam, is an amputee, has severe arthritis and neurological damage. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Philadelphia, Pa.

       Tatom is competing in the following events:

swimming (50 yd. butterfly)
basketball
swimming (100 yd. backstroke)
softball

       "Sports have saved my life," said Tatom. "When I was hurt in Vietnam I was in great shape, and I have never stopped working to get my life back. At the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, I hope to learn and have fun with the men and women of all the different periods of service. My favorite events are swimming and basketball."

       Athletes in the Games compete within three divisions -- Masters (over age 40), Novice (first-time competitors in the Games), and Open (all others, or those who chose to compete in this category). They also compete within classes according to the level of their physical ability, with three quadriplegic-level classes (IA, IB, and IC), and four paraplegic-level or amputee classes (II, III, IV, and V). Tatom competes as a Class IV in the Masters division.

       The Games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and are hosted this year by the Alaska VA Healthcare System and Regional Office and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Northwest Chapter. Funded with help from a host of corporations and service organizations, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are a showcase for the benefit of sports rehabilitative programs, and the remarkable athletic abilities and personal achievements of our nation's disabled veterans.

Note to Editor:
If you would like to interview Tatom, contact Kim Byers, National Veterans Wheelchair Games Public Affairs Coordinator, at (734) 761-7824 after July 10. (Above information regarding military service and disability provided by veteran.)