Dafne Bonachea Tamargo

Air Controlman Second Class Dafne Bonachea Tamargo was born in Cuba but lived most of her life in Miami, Fla. She joined the Navy after her grandmother passed away because she wanted to do something daring and impossible. She also loved the ocean. This path married the two. She originally entered as a Navy diver, but her patella shifted during an early training exercise, so she shifted to air traffic control. She served on the USS Lincoln and once visited the Philippines on a humanitarian community relations (COMREL) assignment.

She truly cares about the wellbeing of her fellow sailors and she was the vice president of Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) while on the Lincoln and helped boost the morale of 3,000 shipmates. She also mentored friend who was at risk of being passed over for promotion because she couldn’t pass her physical readiness test (PRT), changing her life for the better. She brings this same sense of friendship and personal responsibility to Team Navy. When she sees an athlete who is struggling, or beat down because they feel defeated, she is often the first to reminds them that it’s more important to compare themselves to who they were this time last year.

After an accident during deployment, Bonachea Tamargo joined Navy Wounded Warrior at Navy Medical Center San Diego. She didn’t think the adaptive sports program was for her, but after her care team insisted, she attended her first camp in November 2023. It changed her life and gave her a new goal. “I want to dominate in Games,” she said.

During the 2024 Warrior Games, Bonachea Tamargo will compete in field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, and swimming.