MHS Profiles: Confidence. Strength. Pride. Rebuilding Through Recreation

8/14/2019 MHS Profiles: Confidence. Strength. Pride. Rebuilding Through Recreation

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CONFIDENCESTRENGTH. PRIDE

Rebuilding through Recreation

By Elizabeth M. Lockwood

January 2010 Volume 1 Issu

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Out on the Hunt: Ross

Colquhoun (far left) leads

the Wounded Veterans

Waterfowl Weekend Class

of 2009 as they prepare

for a live duck release.

Each warrior used a

shotgun donated to them

through the generosity of

the American Legion andtheir supporters.

CONFIDEArticle: Elizabeth M. Lockwood / Design: Amy Kress / Photography: Caroline Deutermann


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CE

Retired Army Capt. JoePotter didnt havemuch to oer Americas

wounded service membersexcept his love o huntingand some land on Marylands

Eastern Shore. So togetherwith his neighbor, retired ArmySpc. Dennis Reed, Potterounded the Wounded VeteransWaterowl Weekend.

It is emotional or me, Reedexplains. I was ortunate.When I returned I hadeverything in place. When yousee these fne young men and weve had women too ithurts. Theyre just soldiers outdoing their jobs.

In an eort to give back,Potter and Reed partneredwith American Legion JeDavis Post 18, based out oCentreville, Md. They invited

fve service members goingthrough rehabilitation at WalterReed Army Medical Center inWashington, D.C., to come outto the shore or a waterowlweekend, complete with skeet

shooting, a live release and awild duck hunt.

The program has grownsignifcantly in the two yearssince that frst weekend in 2007;the 2009 class o warriorsbenefted rom over $20,000 indonations, which bought themeach their own shotgun, paidor a weekend o room andboard and even allowed or twobountiul banquets.

More rewarding than thesematerial gits, however, isthe emotional payo. Thecommunity o Centrevillerallied behind Potter, Reed andthe local American Legion,

Im always asked, Can I

do the things I did beore? and

I keep reiterating the same thing.

The answer is 100% yes.

STRENGTH.PRIDE. Rebuildingthrough Recreation

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MHS Profles4 Confdence. Strength. Pride

To say you played basketball at the White House and

the President watched you and screamed your name out

during the game? Thats something nobody else can say.

o Walter Reed means thedierence between spendinganother day at the hospitaland having the conidence toget out and try new things.

There are so manyorganizations out therethat do so many wonderulthings or us not only whenyoure at Walter Reed, but orwounded warriors when theyleave Walter Reed. They goout o their way to keep intouch with us, invite us back.

They remember us, and thatsgood, Grundy says.

Grundy believes that stayingbusy at Walter Reed wasa key part o his recovery.In addition to traditionalphysical and occupationaltherapy, Grundy participated inrecreational therapy as muchas possible.

I stayed very busy at WalterReed, he remembers.Horseback riding, shooting,

attending the banquets,providing a police escortand making each warrior anhonorary citizen o the town.

Its in these basic humaninteractions where the realtherapy begins.

To Sgt. 1st Class JonathanGrundy, a member o theWounded Veteran WaterowlWeekend Class o 2008,support like the kind hereceives outside the walls


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Skeet Shooting: Dennis Reed

(standing) watches as Army Staff

Sgt. Preston Jackson, a member of

the Waterfowl Class of 2009 aims

at sporting clays. Jackson said of

the weekend, It makes it more

bearable. This is the type of stuff

things like that. Like I say, itsa big motivator.

When Grundy got a chanceto participate in the 2008Waterowl Weekend, he knew

that the opportunity waspriceless. Ive always lovedbeing outdoors, and Ive neverhad a chance to go duck andgoose hunting beore but

jumped at the opportunity. Igot to know the crowd hereand they are really a greatbunch. Ive been out here acouple times.

He returned in 2009 toattend his second WaterowlWeekend, picking right back upon Friday morning where the

jovial competition had let o ayear beore.

Just as Grundy experiencedin previous years, theinteractions betweenwounded warriors and theweekends planners dont endwhen Sunday rolls around.The warriors receive astanding invitation to comeback and visit their riendson the shore whenever andas oten as theyd like, saysRoss Colquhoun, FirearmsTraining/Outdoor Field andStream Program Manager atWalter Reed.

The lielong connectionbetween warrior and host issomething that Reed seesas inevitable. We are theseasoned vets, helping outthe younger ones, he says,because one day they will bethe seasoned ones.

you do with your friends at home. Its

nice to be able to do these kinds of

things [again].

Hoops: Coach Demby (center) leads

the clinic in a game of wheelchair

basketball.


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Potter adds, I get more o acharge out o this than theydo. Because its helping medo something or the guys whoare deending us right now, especially the guys who aregiving up limbs or us, too.

Potter and Reed share a deep-rooted motivation: the needto give back to the soldiersfghting or them, and theeeling that they are beneftingas much as i not more

than the soldiers they aim tosupport.

This eeling o commitmentand dedication is echoed inthe words o retired CommandSgt. Maj. Larry Pence, who co-

ounded the U.S. Army CaissonPlatoon Equine AssistedProgram with retired NavyCmdr. Mary Jo Beckman.

The inspiration or theprogram came one day when

my wie and Mary Jo Beckmanwere out horseback riding,he explains. Our son had justreturned rom Iraq ortunatelyhe was not injured but mywie and I had been talkingand I said, You know, we really

need to do something to helpthese soldiers out when theycome back.

Pence and Beckman drew upa plan or equine assistedtherapy and approached Walter


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Reed about the possibility oincorporating horseback ridinginto the suite o treatmentsand therapies oered towounded soldiers. In the ourtrial sessions that WalterReed gave them, Pence andBeckmans program amazed

the therapists with the obviousphysical and emotional beneftso horseback riding.

Therapists tested ridersbeore and ater each sessionon their mobility and strength,as well as on basics like

A Ride through Ft. Myer:

Michael Cain rides Bud, a

horse in the equine therapy

program at Ft. Myer. Cain

hopes to adopt Bud when

his term of service with the

Caisson Platoon is up in a

few years.

Shooting Range: Rain

didnt stop the fun at the

Wounded Veteran Waterfowl

Weekend.


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Stand-Up and Go and single-leg stance exercises. Resultsrevealed an improvemento almost 75% ollowing the

ride, Pence said. Ater thesecond or third ride, thedegrees o improvementwere so remarkable thatit became obvious to thephysical therapist that equineassisted therapies would inact be extremely beneicial towounded warriors.

That was three and a halyears ago.

The program has expandedsince then, and the CaissonPlatoon Equine AssistedProgram now conductssessions or patients romboth Walter Reed and theWashington DC Vet Center.Riders have injuries rangingrom single and doubleamputations to stroke and

traumatic brain injury.

Physically, riding builds corebalance and increases mobility.The Equine Assisted Programencourages most participantsto ride bareback, allowing ridersto eel the muscles in the

My wie and I had been talking

and I said, You know, we really need

to do something to help these soldiers

out when they come back.

Honor: A soldier in The Old Guard at Ft.

Myer prepares a horse for therapeutic

riding. Both are members of the Caisson

Platoon that carries out a service

members fnal honor: being laid to rest

at Arlington National Cemetery

Coaching: Coach Demby uses his

time on the court to improve his players

basketball skill and remind them how

much they can still do.


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Another psychological benefto horse therapy is the bondthat grows between rider andhorse. Pence explains thatwounded warriors beneft romrelationships built with their

ellow soldiers, instructors andvolunteers, but the relationshipbetween the horse and rider isalso benefcial. These soldiersbond with their horses. Thetherapy itsel, and the beneftso the therapy, are almostsolely attributable to the horse not to anything Mary Jo and Ido. We try to acilitate, but itsreally the horse thats helping

the soldier.

Michael Cain, a retired Armysta sergeant who lost a legin an IED blast in Iraq in April2003, got involved in theprogram because he loveshorses. He has stayed inthe program because o onehorse, a Percheron namedBud. He is aware o theimportant day job Bud hasand also o the dierence Budhas made in his recovery.

I love that horse, Cain says.I [I] didnt have this, Id justbe sitting at the house doingnothing at all.

Getting out is one o themajor benefts o recreationaltherapy. Cpl. Ray Hennagir and

Lance Cpl. Justin Knowles bothdescribe themselves as shypeople who would rather spendtime alone in their rooms thanpush themselves to try to fndriends at a place as large asWalter Reed.


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But the Hennagir and Knowles

who play basketball atWalter Reed every Thursday,in wheelchairs designedspeciically or the sport, areanything but introverted.

Actually the occupationaltherapists here were pushingme or a while just to get out,since I only have six ingers,Hennagir, a bilateral above-the-knee amputee, says o

joining Walter Reeds team.They wanted me to tr y it andsee i I could do it. I cameout the irst time and kind oenjoyed it, so I kept comingback and then got addicted. It seems like ever since Isat down in a chair, my skilllevel has gone up.

These soldiers bond with their horses. The therapy and

its benefts are almost solely attributable to the horse. We try

to acilitate, but its really the horse thats helping the soldier.

Portraits: Recreational therapy

affects soldier, veteran and program

directors alike. From left to right: Joe

Potter, Mary Jo Beckman, and Sgt. 1st

Class Jonathan Grundy.

Dribbling: Capt. Ray Hennagir follows

wheelchair basketball rules: two

pushes between each dribble.

Passion: Larry Pence founded the

U.S. Army Caisson Platoon Equine

Assisted Program. Pence and his son

are both veterans.

Neither soldier playedbasketball beore coming toWalter Reed, and now bothHennagir and Knowles arebeing recruited to EdinboroUniversity in Edinboro, Pa.,with dreams o one dayplaying or the AmericanParalympic WheelchairBasketball team.

Its a great booster a greatthing to just get out and getcompetitive again, Hennagirsays. Im being scoutedright now by a coach Heis also the mens Paralympicbasketball coach. He wantsme to train under him or ouryears [in college] and thenhopeully eventually make itto the Paralympic level.


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There are so many organizations out there that

do so many wonderul things or wounded warriors.

They go out o their way to keep in touch with us, invite

us back. They remember us, and thats good.

Its with pride that Knowles,a single-leg, above-the-kneeamputee, notes that he wasvoted MVP in a game that the

wheelchair basketball teamrecently played at the WhiteHouse or President BarackObama. He was actually outthere and really amazed by it,Knowles remembers. I eltreally good ater. And to sayyou played basketball at theWhite House and the Presidentwatched you and screamed youname out during the game?Thats something nobody elsecan say.

The coach, retired Army Spc.Billy Demby, himsel a bilateralbelow-the-knee amputee,couldnt be more proud o theteam that hes gathered. Whileits ofcially a clinic, not a teamwheelchair basketball at WalterReed draws a group o playerswho are dedicated to the sport

and addicted to its therapeuticbenefts.

Each practice begins with aset o warm-ups that includesprints, lay-ups and shooting.Then Coach, as the playerscall Demby, directs a ew



Getting Back in the Field:

Recreational therapy serves to

strengthen a soldiers ability and

confdence. Whether they return to

active duty or adjust to civilian life,

wounded warriors who participate

in the Wounded Veteran Waterfowl

Weekend are learning how to get

back in the feld.

drills beore the players get tocompete in a loud, ull-courtgame o wheelchair basketball.

Besides the obvious physicalbeneits o rolling up and downa court or two hoursshootingat a regulation net when theyare sitting less than our eetrom the ground, and settingup pics and traps that rivalany league in the countrywheelchair basketball oersoutstanding emotional andpsychological lits.

When I came back here someyears ago, Demby rememberso his own stay at Walter Reedin 1971, I mean, [I thought]my lie was over. Wheelchairbasketball changed that orDemby. Hes been playing or25 years, and or many othose years he has also playedtraditional stand-up ball.

When he sees woundedwarriors today get involved inthe sport, he knows exactlywhat they are going through.They are now doing somethingthey thought they would neverdo again. It has a great eecton them.

THE FUTURE OFTHERAPY AT THE NEW

WALTER REED

Te Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

in Bethesda, Md., will open in September 2011,ofering state-o-the-art acilities and servicesincluding many recreational therapy opportunitiesto wounded warriors.

The number o opportunities that we will oer

our patients here is limited only by a persons

imagination, says Capt. David Bitonti, Deputy

Commander o Integration and Transition.

Warriors will be housed in Tranquility Hall, a short

distance rom the two main sites where they will

receive state-o-the-art therapy: the Gymnasium and

Building A, which is the centralized site or most therapy,

such as physical, occupational and speech therapies.

Tranquility Hall

Accommodations consist o suites with a living

room, kitchen and two bedrooms

Outdoor playground area

The Gymnasium

50-meter swimming pool

Weight machines compliant with American

Disability Association standards

Running track

Basketball courts

Handball courts

Building A

Climbing wall

Two running tracks, one with a harness system

Swimming pool

Stair ramp with harness system

CAREN system

Biomechanics, or Gait, Lab

Driving simulator


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When I got out o [WalterReed], Demby continues, Ihad conidence in mysel thatI could go on to other things.

The teams members,

including Hennagir andKnowles, know thatrecreational therapy hasbrought them out o theirshells. My time herewould probably have beendierent [without wheelchairbasketball], Hennagir says.I would have been a lot less[outgoing], I would have beena lot more like a hermit, kind

o kept to mysel. Coming outhere allows or interaction withother patients and also withsome o the therapists that

come out and play with us.Recreational therapy removessoldiers rom the environmentthey know. Away rom hospitalrooms and endless doctorsappointments, they fnd

themselves challenged againby activities theyve alwaysloved and thought were lost.

Colquhoun understands thatrecreational therapy teacheswounded warriors not onlyhow to hunt, ride a horse orplay basketball rom a chair,but also how to rediscoverthemselves and their abilities

in an unexpectedly newenvironment. Its, Can I do thethings I did beore? and I keepreiterating the same thing. The

answer is 100% yes, he says.Together, those involved inrecreational therapy fnd theconfdence to continue thework necessary to heal. Theyfnd the strength to rebuild

their muscles, their bodies,their lives. And, ultimately, theyfnd the pride to step orward intheir new bodies and greet theworld head-on.

Ducks Unlimited: It takes a

whole host of organizations and

people to support the nations

wounded veterans. DucksUnlimited is one of the supporters

of the Wounded Veteran

Waterfowl Weekend.



Mariah has come a verylong way on riding a horse.oday she did absolutelyawesome. I was proud o her.

Capt.MariahKochavi

This issue o MHSProfles is dedicated to

Army Captain MariahKochavi, 1980-2009.

Beore coming to WalterReed, Mariah was anArmy veterinarian.She loved animals sohorseback riding therapywas a good ft.

Her time with the horses

at Fort Myer helpedMariah grow strongerphysically and mentally.[Coming to equinetherapy has] improvedmy balance, my trunksupport, and my mood,she said. It is un.

With a goal o trottingwithout side-spotters,she continued to

dedicate time andenergy to improving herriding skills.

Michael Cain, a retiredArmy sta sergeant, saido his time in therapywith Mariah, Mariahhas come a very longway on riding a horse.She was terrifed the

frst time she got upthere. From when Iveseen her do it she justkeeps on getting betterand better. Today shedid absolutely awesome.I was proud o her.


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EQUIPPED FOR

success

The next issue of MHS

Profiles highlights the

Computer/ElectronicAccommodations

Program, as they

celebrate 20 years of

operation to ensure

that people with

disabilities have equal

access to employment

opportunities in the

Department of Defenseand throughout the

federal government.

coming next on health.mil

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MHS Profiles: Confidence. Strength. Pride. Rebuilding Through Recreation