Editor’s note:

As Boscobel native and Army combat veteran Casey Chamberlain prepares for the 2020 National Veterans Golden Age Games in Madison this June she was recently featured on Channel 15 News and on the Madison VA Hospital’s website. Following is their story.

BOSCOBEL - As the 2020 National Veterans Golden Age Games quickly approach we would like to highlight a number of local Veteran athletes and share their stories. This week’s featured Veteran athlete is Casey Chamberlain. Here is Casey's story:

Where do Veterans turn when they are medically retired after an extensive military career and when several surgeries isolate them even further from life and happiness? Well, for Casey Chamberlain, the National Veterans Golden Age Games provided exactly the inspiration and motivation she needed to find purpose and enjoyment in her post-military life.

Chamberlain, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army Reserves originally from Boscobel, is gearing up for the 34th Annual Veterans Golden Age Games June 22-27 in Madison. While on active duty, Chamberlain played women’s pro-football for five seasons in Minneapolis and Daytona, later playing for the Orlando Fire for two seasons, and then in Madison for the women’s pro team.

In 2008, she deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan where she oversaw the remains of soldiers that were killed in action to make sure they left the country within forty-eight hours, and later she deployed to Kuwait where she was the contract Branch Chief.

She was injured while overseas and when she returned had numerous surgeries to her knee, back and ankle. She was medically boarded out on May 27, 2016 after thirty-seven years of service. After two years of being laid up in her house due to her injuries, she began physical therapy at the Tomah VA. It was a fateful conversation with her physical therapist at the Tomah VA that encouraged her to participate in the Golden Age Games, and for helping her feel like an athlete again. 

“The Veterans Golden Age Games have rejuvenated me! The Games have completely rewired my brain into thinking, ‘I’m not washed up and still have some worth.’ It is amazing to be a part of a team again,” says Chamberlain. 

As a rehab facility, the Tomah VA has had an established Golden Age Games team and they send a team of athletes to compete each year. The Madison VA did not have a team until now, but it’s gaining momentum quickly! The Madison VA is committed to establishing a team of Veteran Athletes who will compete in the games annually as part of the Fitness for Life motto with the hope that they will share similar success stories to that of Casey.