“It’s been a lesson in serving a purpose greater than ourselves,” the Duke of Sussex shared with PEOPLE in 2022.
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Prince Harry is being celebrated for his significant impact on the veteran community through his Invictus Games Foundation.
As this year’s recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the upcoming ESPY Awards, the Duke of Sussex stated, “This one is for our entire service community.”
After a decade in the British Armed Forces, including two tours in Afghanistan, Harry launched the Invictus Games in 2004. His aim was to uplift wounded, sick, and injured servicemen and women through sports. The event has grown into a global phenomenon, positively changing the lives of soldiers in numerous countries.
“I truly believe that we are at our best when we’re in service to others, and Invictus is all about upholding that value,” Prince Harry told PEOPLE in 2022.
A Healing Process
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“[Harry’s] a veteran, and like all vets, when we get together, we talk, laugh, joke, and tease each other. He’s just like one of the guys,” retired Chief Master Sgt. Garrett Kuwada, who competed for Team USA at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2023, shared with PEOPLE. “He makes you feel like you’ve known him forever.”
“I’m so grateful that Prince Harry put this together for us veterans to come together and use this as part of our healing process. And we are, we’re healing, because everybody is smiling,” he added.
A Deeply Personal Cause
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“It’s a deeply personal cause for him. He makes himself really accessible to all the competitors – he is involved in every aspect of the Games,” retired U.S. Army Captain Will Reynolds told PEOPLE.
Making a Difference
The Invictus Games “are really important. They are really making a difference in people’s lives,” said Katie Kuiper, a former Army staff sergeant who served in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
Finding Connection
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“Every conversation that I’ve had with him has been just like I’m talking to a friend, a brother, maybe because of the military connection that we have,” Gabriel “Gabe” George of Team USA told PEOPLE about connecting with the Duke of Sussex. “We share where we just left off. The conversation just continues to go on.”
A Journey of Recovery
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