For Marine Corps Veteran Mark Stulz, it was his recreational therapist, Janelle Gustafson, who convinced him to get on a plane and go to the National Veteran Wheelchair Games in New Orleans in July 2024.
“She kept twisting my arm. Then she twisted both legs. She said you’re going,” Stulz shared.
Gustafson helped him get a bike so he could virtually compete in the 2023 Wheelchair Games. “I rode 60 miles in four days and sent in a picture of my speedometer at the beginning and end,” he said. She also helped him participate remotely in air rifle shooting, a sport he does in his backyard.
“They sent me the targets. I shot them and sent them in. And I thought I did pretty good until I saw what these other guys do. I could not shoot what they shot if I held the gun right above the target.”
Stulz served in the Marine Corps from 1968-1974 and saw combat in Vietnam. “I started out carrying an M16 but got rid of that and got a 45. We got a little less weight on my back. We radio operators had about 120 pounds with the radios and the batteries and stuff, plus your own gear.”
The weight of the gear wasn’t the worst of his tour. “I was in a helicopter crash off Hill 950. I medevacked everybody but myself off the hill, including the two pilots.”
He got to safety, replaced the mic because it had ripped off in the crash, and called in the medevac.
No need to get on a plane for 2025 games
Getting care at Minneapolis VA is where he met Gustafson. “She knew a little bit about me and helped get me back to trying to get back to where I was with balance, walking and everything like that.”
Preparing for the Wheelchair Games not only helped in his recovery but has given him the determination to compete again.
This summer, Gustafson won’t have to convince him to get on a plane for the games. The National Veterans Wheelchair Games, co-presented annually by VA and Paralyzed Veterans of America, will be held in Minneapolis July 17-22, 2025.
Learn how you can be a volunteer or register to be an athlete.
