Kyle Higginbotham

Master-at-Arms Second Class Kyle “Higgy” Higginbotham (ret.) is quick with the dad jokes at morning muster during sports camps. He is often in bright spirits because he sees every day as a gift.

In October 2021, Higginbotham was in a serious motorcycle accident. As if fated, a state trooper was on break on the overpass above him and heard it happen. If the trooper hadn’t been in the right place in the right time, Higginbotham would have died in minutes. In the months that followed, Higginbotham needed to relearn to walk and talk, feed and dress himself.

He never lost his go-getter spirit. He attended his first adaptive sports camp in November 2022 in Springfield, Va. Higginbotham attended the 2023 Warrior Games Challenge and competed in archery, cycling, field, indoor rowing, and shooting, earning several medals along the way.

“Before coming to camp, I was in a dark mental fog. I was depressed, but my teammates and coaches brought me out of that space. They saved me,” he said. “The coaches and athletes are like family to me know. I can call any of them and know they’ll make time for me. I can decompress around them.”

Higginbotham medically retired in 2023. He dances competitively and is in the process of becoming a certified personal trainer to help other veterans maintain their physical fitness, too. At the 2024 Warrior Games, Higginbotham will compete in archery, field, indoor rowing, shooting, and swimming.