U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Special Agent Bill Lickman enlisted in the Air Force in 1996, beginning his career as a Security Forces Airman at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
He would later retrain and currently works for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Lickman was serving at the Pentagon during our nation’s worst terrorist attack in American history, where he single-handedly managed the evacuation of 5,000 personnel and provided security for the secretary of defense, vice chairman and joint chiefs of staff.
Lickman continues to provide criminal, surveillance, anti-terrorism and counter-intelligence services to protect Air Force and Department of Defense personnel serving the nation.
“I am excited and honored to be part of the Air Force team and cannot wait to compete with my brothers and sisters,” Lickman said.
So, we are here at the Air Force Academy at your second Warrior Games; what is going through your mind right now? What are you feeling leading up to this competition?
I am focused on doing my personal best and helping my teammates to perform their best - keeping everyone in the competition mindset.
How does it feel being able to represent the Air Force here, specifically in this capacity - as a warrior athlete?
It is an honor to be able to represent the Air Force, and to be involved and compete alongside some great people.
Do you think the team is ready for this year’s competition? What are some of the emotions everyone is feeling?
We are as ready as we can be at this point. Now it is just a matter of tweaking and fine-tuning. Everyone is as ready as they have personally prepared themselves to be; we will soon see the results of our efforts.
Nothing is without challenge, but perseverance over adversity makes us more resilient. How are all the athletes supporting each other and keeping morale high?
We keep each other accountable and help to motivate one another along the way. Everything is constructive and positive here. Outside competition, the relationships that form off the court or track builds a support network of people you can count on and lean upon.
This competition is about so much more than medals and winning; what do you personally hope to take away from this experience?
Again, the relationships and camaraderie; that and the confidence in knowing I am pushing 40 and at the end of my career I am still able to be competitive and hold my own among some of the best.