William Hamilton III

Machinery Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Hamilton served for 14 years in the U.S. Coast Guard after pivoting from a career in law enforcement in North Carolina. His proudest accomplishment was saving lives. In 2021, Hamilton’s crew responded to an overturned catamaran off the Alabama Coast. With two victims in open water and the submerged sails posing a serious risk to Hamilton’s boat, he landed a perfect heaving line cast to safely pull the two people from the water, earning him a Coast Guard Achievement Medal. Years later, Hamilton responded to an early-morning smoke alarm at a USCG facility. After a three-hour investigation, they discovered a freon leak in a confined space. This exposure triggered a latent autoimmune condition that caused a serious blood clot, and 36 hours later, he suffered a stroke that changed the trajectory of his life and his Coast Guard career. Since joining adaptive sports through Navy Wounded Warrior, he fell in love with wheelchair basketball. The teamwork and upper-body workout have been motivating, but Hamilton found this sport also improved the fine motor skills in his hand and helped him compensate for his visual field loss. He is one of the only Coast Guardsmen on Team Navy in 2026, which drives him to train all the harder for Warrior Games to represent his branch with true Devotion to Duty and his “Always ready” spirit.