American Military Olympian Shares Love for His Country and Fellow Americans Competing in Milan Cortina
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U.S. Olympic female skeleton athlete and Air Force Sergeant Kelly Curtis did not get the results she was looking for individually in Milan Cortina.
But she still feels like a winner because she was able to represent her country and can continue to support her teammates on Team USA, especially the Americans currently challenging Germany in women’s bobsled.
“Every time I put on the uniform that says America, I feel proud to represent both my country and the United States Air Force,” Curtis told News Digital. “But having it on the Olympic stage makes it that much more special.”
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USA’s Kelly Curtis after Heat 3 of the Women’s Skeleton at the Cortina Sliding Center on the eighth day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Italy. Photo date: Saturday February 14, 2026. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
Curtis’ patriotism comes at a time when some American Olympic athletes have expressed concern and criticism about the current state of the United States under President Donald Trump. Curtis, as a loyal member of the US military, insists that he will defend any of his teammates or fellow Americans who want to exercise their freedom of speech.
“I love the First Amendment and I love being able to defend the country in any way I do in the name of the First Amendment,” Curtis said. “My fellow Olympians have the right to speak whatever they want and I will defend their right to do so.”
Team USA athletes Hunter Hess, Amber Glenn and Mikaela Shiffrin have made statements criticizing the state of the USA while competing in Italy. Meanwhile, Curtis and fellow US Air Force Olympian Jasmine Jones, who is currently looking to help lead the US to the podium in bobsled, join ice hockey players Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes in praising their country in Milan Cortina.
AMERICAN HUNTER HESS RESPONDS TO TRUMP’S ‘LOSER’ CRITICISMS WITH AN ‘L’ GESTURE AT THE MILAN CORTINA OLYMPIC GAMES
USA’s Kelly Curtis holds a flag after competing in the women’s skeleton heat 4 at Cortina Sliding Center during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo on February 14, 2026. (Stefano RELLANDINI/News)
After finishing 12th in women’s skeleton, Curtis will cheer on the bobsled team of Jones and Kaillie Humphries, who are in position to compete for a medal podium in a field packed with elite German rivals.
Humphires and Jones finished in first place in the first heat of the finals on Friday, and then fourth in the second heat. They have a way to reach the podium, probably a bronze or a silver, but their dream of gold is still alive.
“They’ve got something good going,” Curtis said. “They sure have a winning formula.”
As Curtis and Jones represent the only two Air Force members competing for Team USA in Milan Cortina, Curtis hopes to increase that number by the time the 2030 Winter Games roll around in the French Alps.
“We have a small program for the Winter Olympics cycle, but we hope that our program will grow and develop, and we will have many more athletes competing in the 2030 games,” he said.
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“This program requires a three-year active duty commitment, so once we finish, we return to our air bases where we serve as active duty members.”
Team USA fans can send Jones and fellow aviator Kelly Curtis, who is also competing in Italy, a personalized letter through a program involving a partnership between Team USA and Sandboxx.
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to Title IX enforcement and in mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The News and ESPN.com.