From Rock Bottom to the Golden Age Games: Navy Veteran Wayne Simpson Finds Purpose Again
By Michael Brock, Public Affairs Specialist
Each time Wayne Simpson begins a physical training session, he reinforces his commitment not only to surviving, but thriving.
The U.S. Navy Veteran will attend the National Veterans Golden Age Games this year, but to him, the event means more than friendly competition; it’s synonymous with recovery, resilience, and rediscovering purpose.
“I had a successful career, a family, a home and everything I thought mattered,” Simpson said. “[But] I went from being on top to being on the bottom.”
After his honorable discharge from the service, Simpson earned a college degree and enjoyed a successful career, at one point earning a seven-figure salary. Then, in 1997, everything crumbled.
After surviving a devastating car accident, he was left with a broken neck and a dependency on the opioid prescription that was meant to aid his recovery. Simpson’s opioid use slowly morphed into an alcohol addiction that engulfed his life.
In the decades that followed, Simpson racked up multiple DUIs, endured the dissolution of his marriage, and the foreclosure of his home. Eventually Simpson found himself on the streets of Pinellas County, seeking refuge wherever he could.
“I was an alcoholic for 40 years. I lost everything I worked for,” Simpson shared. “I felt alone, hopeless, and like there was no way out of the hole I dug. I honestly didn’t see a future for myself.”
Then, the Salvation Army introduced Simpson to treatment programs at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Recovery was difficult, but everything began to change through the support of Bay Pines VA Recreation Therapist Lin Hales.
“Everybody else gave up on me. Lin never did,” Simpson said. “She kept encouraging me, kept believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself, and she helped me see that there was still something worth fighting for.”
In August 2026, Simpson will celebrate two years of sobriety. Over the past 21 months, he quit smoking, lost 65 pounds, and established a routine that involves training in the gym every day.
In his reach toward something better, Hales recalls Simpson traversing a path strewn with debris. But no matter how rough the road, Simpson’s determination remained the constant.
“I decided early in my career that I would treat every patient as I would want my family member or close friend treated; with respect, empathy, and a level of honesty and tough love that is rooted in compassion,” said Hales. “Wayne’s journey, like many others, wasn’t a straight path but Wayne continued to show up. As long as he continued to fight for his recovery and well-being, I was willing to fight alongside him.”
Four years ago, Hales encouraged Simpson to compete in the National Veterans Golden Age Games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Though hesitant at first, Simpson returned home with a silver medal in shuffleboard. In 2025, during the games in Memphis, he earned another silver medal in billiards.
This year, Simpson will again represent Bay Pines VA at the Golden Age Games in Tampa, competing in billiards, shuffleboard, horseshoes and cornhole. And while he’s proud of the medals he’s earned, Simpson said his greatest accomplishment is reclaiming his life.
“I’m happier now because I’ve learned that purpose, friendship, and helping others mean a lot more than material things,” Simpson said. “Through Bay Pines VA, recreational therapy, and the Golden Age Games, I found a reason to keep moving forward. Life is good again.”