{"id":7944,"date":"2025-02-01T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7944"},"modified":"2025-02-01T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T19:30:00","slug":"how-one-veteran-won-65-golden-age-game-medals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7944","title":{"rendered":"How one Veteran won 65 Golden Age Game medals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-02-01T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>Veteran Marina Perez does not let age define her as a competitor in the National Veterans Golden Age Games. Her story spans continents, challenges and victories, offering a beacon of hope and determination for all who face adversity.<\/p>\n<p>Perez, 79, combines willpower and a zest for life.<\/p>\n<p>It all started at the age of 33 when she competed in the New York City Marathon, completing the run in just over five hours.\u00a0This set the tone for a transformative moment that fueled her confidence and commitment to pushing herself to the limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This portion of her life\u2019s journey began with a decision to join the Army at the age of 35 and, despite some obstacles and overcoming initial setbacks one faces when coming from abroad, she never looked back.<\/p>\n<p>Perez\u2019s military career spanned 25 years, culminating in her retirement as a\u00a0sergeant first class. Her service included deployments to the Gulf War and Bosnia, where she served with distinction and received the prestigious Bronze Star Medal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe military opened my mind to how others live and survive. It made me grateful and taught me resilience,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three gold medals in first competition<\/h2>\n<p>After retiring from service at the age 60, she transitioned to working at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/west-palm-beach-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">West Palm Beach VA<\/a>. It was there that she found a new community of women Veterans who introduced her to the National Veterans Golden Age Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perez took home three gold medals in her first competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of 12 years, she has set the record with 65 medals in cycling, bowling, javelin, long jump and many other track and field events.<\/p>\n<p>Staying active has been crucial for her health and vitality. \u201cThe games keep me young. At my age, it is easy to get lazy, but the camaraderie and competition motivates me to keep going. Running and staying active has been my therapy through life\u2019s toughest moments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The Golden Age Games are more than just a competition for Perez. \u201cVA created this opportunity to keep us in shape and connected, and it\u2019s made a huge difference in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cIt\u2019s never too late to start.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Looking back on her journey, from emigrating to the United States, running a marathon, serving in two war zones, retiring from the military to becoming a Golden Age Games champion, one can see that Perez\u2019s life is a testament to living life fully and embracing every opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her journey proves that age is no barrier to greatness and life\u2019s golden years can truly shine. Her advice to fellow Veterans is simple yet profound: \u201cStay active. Exercise is the best medicine for the body and mind. It\u2019s never too late to start and it\u2019s always worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/veteran-sports\/national-veterans-golden-age-games\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Registration<\/a> begins Jan. 28.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/138004\/how-one-veteran-won-65-golden-age-game-medals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Veteran Marina Perez\u2019s medal count in the Golden Age Games may soon match her age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How one Veteran won 65 Golden Age Game medals - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Veteran Marina Perez\u2019s medal count in the Golden Age Games may soon match her age.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7944\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How one Veteran won 65 Golden Age Game medals - 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