A beautiful moment of team solidarity from the Invictus Games has everyone in tears
The Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured or ill military personal, is currently taking place in australia, watched by its founder and patron, Prince Harry. Many of those taking part insist that the event has helped them through some of the darkest times of their lives, with many still experiencing the psychological repercussions of being in combat.
One such individual is Paul Guest, a former mine warfare specialist and current British wheelchair tennis player, who was left shaken and unable to play when a low-flying helicopter triggered his PTSD. His doubles partner, Dutchman Edwin Vermetten, stepped up to help his teammate through the difficult moment.
Photo by Tracey Nearmy
An article on the Invictus Games official website quotes Edwin Vermetten.
“I took him by the face and said ‘Look at me. We are a team so let it go,”
“Look into my eyes and sing the ‘Frozen’ song, and we did.“For him, this was the moment he let go, and he did, he literally let it all go.”
The internet has had an emotional reaction to the story.
Oof. A potent mix of human frailty and simple tenderness in this story. A UK competitor in the Invictus Games (for injured military veterans) freezes when a helicopter flies over. His teammate helps him through – they sing a song from ‘Frozen’. (Story: https://t.co/mFHgYOK7R7) pic.twitter.com/HvVuHA1GWn
— SimonNRicketts (@SimonNRicketts) October 22, 2018
Lovely tale from the Invictus Games.
“Look into my eyes and sing the ‘Frozen’ song, and we did.
“For him, this was the moment he let go, and he did, he literally let it all go.”https://t.co/STZtkZ1iOO— Hannah Furness (@Hannah_Furness) October 22, 2018
This is what the spirit of #invictus is all about.https://t.co/uLAw7a56Uv
— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) October 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/HelpforHeroes/status/1054719631527723008
https://twitter.com/overingtonc/status/1054528975328862213
The pair even went on to win their match.
https://twitter.com/HelpforHeroes/status/1054257265971290112
This whole story absolutely defines “squad goals”.
Source: Invictus Games