Veterans help Atlanta Gladiator players stay prepared with lessons learned during deployment

David Arnold, a former U.S. Army servicemember who served for 23 years, now helps the Atlanta Gladiators prepare for games as the ECHL team’s assistant equipment manager. After a 2020 deployment to Syria, Arnold found that hockey’s teamwork, discipline and shared purpose helped him adjust to civilian life. He says the military and sports have more in common than they might seem, and that the team has given him a new sense of belonging.