Spirit Warriors allow veterans to find solace in hockey
By Amy Belleman
The Spirit Warriors are more than a hockey team to local veteran Jason Gomez. They are a lifeline.
The value in the friendships and understanding from this special team of vets goes way beyond goals scored or games played.
“It’s where I can go and play hockey and that’s my therapy,” Gomez said. “I have guys on the team that I’ve met that have become my best friends. I can talk to one of these guys about anything that’s plaguing me. I’m comfortable talking with these guys. I would do anything for them.”
Gomez, who served in the U.S. Army from Dec. 27, 2001, to July 28, 2009 understands how hard it can be for service members to assimilate when they get home.
Gomez did five deployments – one to Israel and four to Iraq – before he was injured by an improvised explosive device and allowed to retire for injuries received in theater.
Gomez, who grew up playing hockey, found solace in a veteran’s hockey group based out of the Detroit area before he and his wife decided to start Spirit Warriors in 2019.
Gomez said he’s thankful to the Saginaw Spirit for supporting the fledgling group. The Spirit have let the team use their eagle logo, have ice time every Saturday that the Spirit have a home game and the Saginaw Spirit Foundation has helped with some funding.
“Craig (Goslin) offered us the opportunity to partner with the Spirit and it was a blessing,” Gomez said. “I don’t think he knows how many lives he’s saved already just by forming this partnership. (People don’t see) all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes that is helping veterans that are teammates.”
The Spirit Warriors team currently has 85 members and is open to all honorably discharged veterans – including those with disabilities – from any branch of service. It’s an informal group. People just show up when they can.
“We allow active duty to skate with us as well,” said Theresa Gomez, Jason’s wife and CEO for the Warriors.
It’s all about building bonds.
“A lot of the time, they just need somebody to talk to,” Jason Gomez said.
There’s also a group of spouses that make up an auxiliary for the team.
“We’re not just (a team) on the ice, we’re family,” Theresa Gomez said.
Jason Gomez said he understands how important it is for veterans to be there for other veterans. Playing hockey with his fellow vets has helped him through survivor’s guilt and PTSD.
“Literally, it brought me back,” he said, noting that veterans get other veterans. “Just connecting with someone is uplifting.”
He said the team lost a brother and fellow Spirit Warrior, Damon Clayton, to suicide in 2020 and they will never forget No. 17.
“When you lose one, the fight is just more intense to not lose another,” he said.
Gomez said he hopes to grow the veteran’s hockey club, raising funds so that they can participate in more competitions.
“We would like to be the first ones to go international,” he said.
To learn more about or to donate to the Spirit Warriors visit www.spiritwarriorshockey.org.
