Marine veteran Ashley Chavez will compete in the 2012

Marine veteran Ashley Chavez will compete in the 2012 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 30-May 5. Chavez, 26, will compete in track and field and cycling. Chavez was injured in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006 while serving as a radio operator on a supply convoy, when the vehicle she was riding in ran over an improvised explosive device. Chavez was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
"My biggest challenge was accepting my injury," she said. "I tried for so long to make myself believe nothing was wrong with me. I have embraced my injury now. I have learned what my body can handle and what I need to do to push through and overcome my obstacles. Chavez is also a student at Central Texas College in Kileen, Texas. She is married to husband, Pablo, and has a daughter, Adrianna. This is Chavez' second time competing.
More than 200 wounded, ill or injured service members from the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Special Operations Command are scheduled to compete in the Paralympic-style competition.