Sports Heroes Who Served is a collection that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served within the U.S. navy.

Randy Couture was a champion wrestler and martial artist, in addition to an actor. 

He was within the Army from 1982 to 1988, serving within the a hundred and first Airborne Division, and attained the rank of sergeant when he was honorably discharged. 

During a go to to Fort Benning, now known as Fort Moore, in Georgia in April 2014, Couture mentioned he credit his success with the boldness he developed whereas competing on Army wrestling groups. 

“It was a pretty formative time in my life, and I think I developed a particular discipline and mindset while wearing Army green. It was there that I learned I could compete at an international level and really developed the mindset and the confidence to go out and win. That got me through three or four years of college at Oklahoma State and on into mixed martial arts and winning world championships as a fighter. It all started with the Army uniform,” he mentioned. 

Couture mentioned he was lucky sufficient to be within the service at a time when the one factor happening was the Cold War. “I by no means needed to put it on the road. I did all of the coaching; I wore the uniform; I perceive that dedication and that self-discipline, however I by no means needed to go [into combat]. 

“It’s been great to meet some of the guys coming back from the war who have made some pretty significant sacrifices,” Couture added, which means troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Speaking on the opening ceremony of the International Military Sports Council of Military, or CISM, on Oct. 2, 2014, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Couture mentioned: “It was here on this post back in 1985 where I got my start on the Army’s wrestling team, which allowed me to represent the U.S. at the CISM championships in Sicily. It was at that time in my life when I learned I could compete at an international level. It’s an honor for me to be back here.” 

CISM is the abbreviation for the French title Conseil International du Sport Militaire, which organizes varied sporting occasions for dozens of armed forces all through the world. 

In 2009, Couture began the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, often called the GI Foundation, which is devoted to serving to injured veterans of the armed forces. 

Couture has additionally teamed with Jay Glazer of Fox Sports and Green Beret and National Football League participant Nate Boyer to create Merging Vets and Players. The program is designed to handle challenges that many fight veterans {and professional} athletes face when transitioning their service/skilled life to a brand new mission in civilian life. 

More About Randy Couture 

Couture wrestled on the World Championships in Greco-Roman in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 and have become a three-time Olympic staff alternate (1988, 1992 and 1996); a semifinalist on the 2000 Olympic Trials; a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I All-American; and a two-time NCAA Division I runner-up (1991 and 1992) at Oklahoma State University. 

By December 1997, on the age of 33, Couture made his debut into the world {of professional} combating, claiming victory within the Heavyweight Division of his first look within the Ultimate Fighting Championship, quickly incomes the moniker of “Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture.” He has fought in 16 title fights and has six UFC title reigns within the Lightweight and Heavyweight divisions. He additionally turned the 4th professional fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. 

Couture’s rising profession in performing contains the hit movies “The Expendables” and “The Expendables 2,” reverse Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis; he reprised his position as Toll Road in “The Expendables 3.” 

He additionally performed a recurring character on the CBS tv present “The Unit,” in a task written particularly for him. More not too long ago, he has appeared within the following TV exhibits: “Lip Sync Battle,” “Ballers,” “Whose Line is it Anyway,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Impractical Jokers” and a number of episodes of “Hawaii Five O.”