Navy wounded warriors on the U.S. team took to the pool, earning a silver medal in the final swimming events of the Invictus Games, May 11, in Orlando, Florida.

The Invictus Games is a Paralympic-style, multinational event with more than 500 military athletes from 14 nations competing in 10 sporting events.

Four Navy athletes competed in the swimming finals: retired Naval Aircrewman Airman Brett Parks, retired Lt. John Edmonston, retired Electrician's Mate 3rd Class Mike Roggio and retired Coast Guard Yeoman 3rd Class Kristen Esget.

Edmonston competed in the 50-meter freestyle and breaststroke races. He achieved a personal best, but was .19 of a second shy of earning a medal in the 50-meter breaststroke.

"That's just a matter of fingernails, sadly enough," said Edmonston. "I'm a little disappointed to walk away from this Invictus with no medals, whereas at the last Invictus Games I walked away with five overall, but I was in more events last time with track and at the pool, so I had more opportunities."

While he did not earn a medal at this year's games, Edmonston remains positive.

"I'm just glad overall that I got to come here," he said. "It's an awesome opportunity for those of us who are still going through our recovery to try and become better people through it and help our teammates compete."

Parks was part of the relay team that won the silver medal in the 200-meter race. His wife, Susan Parks, shared what the Invictus Games have been like for their family.

"It has been an incredible, overwhelming experience for us," she said. "It's such a huge part of the healing process for all of these men and women to the point where I feel that any doctor or physical therapist cannot give them this type of therapy."

The day also included wheelchair tennis semifinals. The U.S. team, which includes Navy wounded warrior retired Chief Yeoman Javier D. Rodriguez Santiago, will play in the bronze medal match, May 12.

The day ended with exciting match-ups in wheelchair rugby. The U.S. beat Australia in the semifinal play, scoring the most points in Invictus Games history and progressing to defeat Denmark in the gold medal match.

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For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/.