MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia -- The Wounded Warrior Regiment dedicates itself to ensuring troops receive rehabilitation and recovery for injuries sustained during military service. Some have chosen to volunteer with the regiment to support the Marines and help raise their spirits.
Elvin Chandra has chosen to contribute to this effort by bringing them together through volleyball.
Chandra, the Coach of the Wounded Warrior Regiment volleyball team, has volunteered with the organization since 2012.
Living in Virginia, Chandra had learned from his job that the regiment was accepting volunteers for the Marine Corps Trials.
“I talked my way into volunteering and meeting the folks that hire the coaches,” said Chandra. “I thought I was going to go into a volunteer position and I ended up being an assistant coach.”
As a coach, Chandra advises the team members on how to make them more competitive in volleyball.
These are Marines however, and their competitive spirit and team-oriented thinking makes learning the sport more natural and fluid between coach and player, according to Chandra.
“[The players] are out there coaching each other making sure that every one is in the right place,” said Chandra. “Some of these guys, being athletes before, take to it really easy and volleyball is such a team sport that they gravitate to it very easily.”
Chandra believes earning the Marines’ trust and respect can help them succeed and make recovery more bearable.
“I like building a relationship with them,” said Chandra. “I want them to have that relationship because with that comes trust and if they trust me they will know that when I’m teaching them its going to benefit them and will make them more successful when they compete.”
Chandra is also influenced and grows personally from the determination and liveliness of the team.
“Look how much energy they give and how excited they are. I feed off of that,” said Chandra. “There are guys that are very strong and they pushed through their disabilities. If they can push through the hard times then I can.”
Giving back to the regiment by keeping them engaged and determined to conquer their disabilities heavily persuaded Chandra to coach the team.
“From the perspective of an able bodied person, it would be a huge challenge [for me] to be disabled,” said Chandra. “The opportunity to play a sport and be part of the camaraderie is really great and I wanted to be part of that and foster that. If I was in that position that is what I would want.”