Sgt. Austin Coppola

RANK: Sergeant
HOMETOWN: Tacoma, WA
CURRENT LOCATION/SRU: Fort Belvoir

EVENTS:
Archery
Cycling
Field
Precision Air Sports
Swimming

Sgt. Austin Coppola served seven years on active duty in the United States Army as a Patriot Missile Systems Operator and Maintainer. He completed a 13-month deployment to Jordan and Kuwait in a combat action zone and spent three years stationed overseas in Japan supporting critical missions to ensure the safety and security of the Pacific skies. While stationed in Japan, he was involved in a head-on motor vehicle accident while on duty, resulting in the Humvee he was riding in being completely totaled. Hospitalized and facing the possibility that he might never walk again, all while awaiting the birth of his third daughter. Depression set in, Coppola pushed himself through rehabilitation. In doing so, he re-injured himself marking the beginning of the end of his lifelong dream to serve as a Soldier in the United States Army. After the passing of his mother from breast cancer in March 2025, he felt an even greater drive to find meaning. It was during this time that he discovered adaptive sports and the Warrior Games.

Motto:
"Courage is not an absence of fear, but an ability to face it" 

– Sgt. Austin Coppola