Richard McCormick

CW5 Richard “Bruce” McCormick enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1985 at the age of 21. He served while attending college and reached the rank of SSG until he was selected for Warrant Officer Candidate school (WOCS) after deploying to Desert Storm in 1991. After WOCS he completed flight school and began his aviation career on active duty. He deployed to the Middle East six times, flying 1820 combat hours and 895 imminent danger hours. During Bruce’s deployments, he received multiple injuries, mentally and physically, ranging from TBI’s, PTSD, lower back, and neck injuries. But in 2005, Bruce suffered a an attempt to repair his crushed talus. Ultimately, after numerous attempts, the doctors had to fuse his ankle, disqualifying him from flying. In 2019, Bruce was assigned to the Fort Carson SRU where they started the MEDBOARD process. After 36 years of service to his county he was medically retired. CW5 McCormick served in a plethora of leadership positions at every level of command, culminating as the 11th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (ECAB) Safety Officer and Command Chief Warrant Officer at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Bruce continues to try new things within his limits.

What does the Invictus Games mean to you?

The Invictus Games gives me the ability to compete again. As a competitor my whole life, I thought I was done when I was injured and in many ways, I was. But adaptive sports and events like the Invictus games have given me new life as an athlete. Representing Team US and the Army is such an honor. I only hope to live up to that honor and represent Team US and the Army to the best of my ability.