welcome home, soldier -...

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WELCOME HOME,

SOLDIERLocal agencies team up

to help wounded war veterans heal.

By Roxanne Hawn

Going to war is hard. Cominghome injured is harder. Evenas wounded soldiers heal, theyface the daunting tasks ofreconnecting with their fami-

lies, reintegrating into their communi-ties, and re-imagining their lives.For example, what is the new “nor-

mal” when post-traumatic stress disor-ders (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries(TBI), loss of limbs or limb function,and spinal cord injuries dominate thefuture?

Local park and recreation agenciescan help a wounded soldier findanswers. With the help of NRPA, theU.S. Army’s Fort Lewis in Washing-ton began reaching out to agenciesin May 2007 so that wounded sol-diers could go home sooner.

In the process of regaining theirstrength, community programmingand contacts open up the world for sol-diers and their families at a time whenit feels like everything else is closing in.“It’s about the whole family healing

together and becoming reintegrated,which, of course, will speed up thehealing process both mentally andphysically for the soldier,” explains Sgt.First Class Robert Frasier.

“And, quite frankly,” adds Lt. Col.K.C. Bolton, “(These local agencies)have capabilities we cannot provide.One of the things we’re finding is,hometown America embraces these sol-diers and families. They go above andbeyond and give us more than we wereasking for so that there is a holistic pro-gram for the whole family and not just

the warrior.”Founded in June 2007, the Fort Lewis

Warrior Transition Unit (WTU),named Task Force Phoenix, is made upof about 250 staff members who serveapproximately 800 wounded soldiers,roughly 80 percent men, 20 percentwomen. It’s the second largest WTU ofthe 37 such units in the country. Sol-

2008 Paralympic GamesVeterans Win Medals, Provide Hope

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diers often get assigned to WTUs afterreceiving emergent medical care in thewar theater, at European military basesand at military hospitals in the UnitedStates. For some, it can be more than ayear between the injury and returninghome.Rather than allow wounded soldiers

to slide into a netherworld betweenactive and inactive Army life duringrecovery, these WTUs serve as healinggrounds, where teams of people plan,execute, and support each person’s get-well plan.“Basically, their mission is to get

healthy,” says Heidi Melancon, NRPA’ssenior manager for health and wellness,who, as a result of NRPA’s partnershipwith U.S. Paralympics, serves as liaisonbetween the Army and hometownagencies.Doctors, physician’s assistants, regis-

tered nurses, physical and occupationaltherapists, military police members,

and others complete this unit, which isstructured more like a combat battalion

By Phil DeMeo

Fifteen military veterans and oneactive duty service member partici-pated in the 2008 Paralympic

Games in Beijing, China in September.These 16 competitors brought home atotal of 10 medals, including four gold.Active-duty U.S. Navy Petty Officer FirstClass Casey Tibbs (San Antonio, Texas),who in 2004 made history by becomingthe first American active duty militarymember to compete in a ParalympicGames, won gold in the men’s track andfield 4 x 100m relay (T42-T46) and abronze medal in the long jump(F42/F44). Although Tibbs is proud ofwinning a gold medal for the secondconsecutive Games, giving hope toother injured service men and womenmeans the most to him.

“By competing in the Paralympic Games Ifeel like I’m setting a new benchmark forany injured athletes - whether they werein the military or not,” Tibbs said. “Hope-

fully we can broaden people’s perceptionsof what a physically disabled person canachieve.”

Army veteran Jennifer Schuble (Home-wood, Ala.) came away with an impressivemedal haul, winning one gold and two sil-ver medals in cycling while setting a newworld record by more than two seconds inthe women’s 500m time trial (LC 1-2/CP4). Fellow cyclist Oscar “Oz” Sanchez (SanDiego, Calif.), a Marine Corps veteran,raced to his first-ever gold medal in thegrueling men’s individual time trial (HC C).In wheelchair rugby, retired Navy service-man Will Groulx (Portland, Ore.) led TeamUSA to the top of the podium by scoring16 goals in the gold medal match againstAustralia.

The final two medals were won by KariMiller (Washington, D.C.), who helped thewomen’s sitting volleyball team to a silvermedal, and Laura Schwanger (Elkins Park,Pa.), who won bronze in the women’s sin-gle sculls (A).

Other retired service men and womenwho competed in Beijing included Armyveterans Scot Severn (Caro, Mich./track & field), Melissa Stockwell (Chicago, Ill./swimming), Kevin Stone (Kodak, Tenn./archery), Scott Winkler (Grovetown, Ga./track & field) and Russell Wolfe (Williams-burg, Va./archery). Chuck Lear (Lee’s Sum-mit, Mo./archery), Carlos Leon (N. Laud-erdale, Fla./track & field), Angela Madsen(Long Beach, Calif./rowing), and TJ Pem-berton (Edmond, Okla./archery), who areretired members of the Marine Corps, andretired Navy veteran Lee Hinson (Bruns -wick, Ga./wheelchair tennis) also com-peted in the 2008 Paralympic Games.

As Tibbs explains, the success and compet-itiveness of the U.S. Paralympic Team isimperative in providing hope to athleteswith physical disabilities across the coun-try. “Our accomplishments give athleteswith physical disabilities something tostrive for and show them that they canstill perform as elite athletes.”


instead of a typical military hospital.Behind the scenes, there might be ahalf-dozen people seeking solutions andopportunities for each soldier, includingpreparing them for a career change, ifnecessary.According to Sean Smith, a COTA-

certified occupational therapist, thetraining often involves regular workthat builds job-related skills such asmemory through filing or computerand technology tasks.“This is a new concept,” explains

Bolton, who commands the battalion.“It was a by-product of some of thechallenges we had as we continue tofight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,of soldiers getting back-logged in theirmedical evaluation board process.There wasn’t a comprehensive or syn-chronized approach.”Task Force Phoenix includes a pilot

program called Remote Warrior Care,where soldiers go home to completetheir recovery. With feedback fromArmy case managers, local park andrecreation agencies meet with returning

soldiers and develop customized pro-grams to help them heal and find theirnew path.“These soldiers have a variety of

injuries,” explains Melancon, “but oneof the common denominators is that welook for things that make them feelmore ‘normal.’ Typically, that’s sportsand recreation.”

Sometimes the local agency helps a solider return to a beloved sportor activity, albeit modified. Othertimes, it’s giving them an opportu-nity to try something new.

The level of commitment, the lengthof the relationship, and the breadth ofthe programming is up to the localagency and the soldier.Because using military appropriated

funds for non-military services is cum-bersome, bordering on impossible, theArmy does not pay agencies for provid-ing soldier services. Such outreach,therefore, is mostly a donated or greatlydiscounted endeavor. If costs exceedwhat agencies can absorb, NRPA

encourages them to reach out to com-munity funding partners or nonprofits.The goal of reintegration can mean:

• Return to a deployable unit in eithertheir current or a new work position.

• Rejoin their guard or reserve systemor origin.

• Retire with a medical discharge andpossibly retrain for a new career.Those transitioning out of the mili-

tary move into the Veterans Adminis-tration system and other assistance pro-grams. The goal, says Maj. Heidi Kelly,an officer in charge of the remote pro-gram, is a seamless transition. That caninclude job training and counseling for the soldier’s spouse, who now mightneed to support the family financially.The local recreation component aids

this transfer from the military familyinto the community family. “I’ve talkedto leaders of some of these organiza-tions,” says Bolton, “and they havewanted to help but haven’t known how. Now, they have a venue by us connecting them with a soldier, so it’swin-win-win.”

Army Reserve E4 Spec. WilliamStrickland drove long-haultrucks between his stint in theNational Guard and returningto the Reserves two years ago

to better provide for his wife and foursons. When he deployed to Iraq inDecember 2006, Strickland protectedconvoys of civilian truckers who shuttlesupplies across the war zone.During Mother’s Day weekend 2007

he took part in a convoy between twomilitary bases in Iraq. “We got hit (byroad-side bombs) twice going up,”Strickland says. “Nobody was injuredeither time with those. But they wereclose enough to ring our bells and getour adrenalin going.”On the way back, however, just south

of Tikrit, Strickland’s truck took adirect hit. “I don’t remember hearingit,” he says. “I remember feeling theheat. Then, honestly, my first thoughtwas that I’d lost my arm because I was

ONE SOLDIER’S STORY

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in excruciating pain. I was really afraidto look.”Strickland suffered shrapnel injuries

in his left arm and leg. The explosionbroke several ribs, herniated three disksin his spine, and caused a traumaticbrain injury, which has resulted inmemory problems and migraines. “Allin all,” he says, “I’m very fortunate.”

After being flown out of Iraq, Strick-land spent a couple of weeks at anArmy hospital in Germany. Once in theStates, he spent several months at FortSam Houston in Texas before movingcloser to home at Fort Lewis in Wash-ington. His path was not always easy.He and his family often felt frustrated,discouraged, and a little lost in the sys-

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tem. He is grateful for the innovativeWarrior Transition Unit and the experi-mental Remote Warrior Care program.The Richland Community Center in

Strickland’s hometown of Richland,Wash., became one of the first local,park and recreation agencies to takepart in this program. Laurel Strand,

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recreation program and facilities man-ager, met with Strickland and his wife,Haili.“They just absolutely won my heart,”

she says. “It was not only his mild-man-nered nature, but her obvious and com-plete joy in having her husband backhome. It was so wonderful to be nearsuch observable joy.”While the initial conversation

focused on Strickland’s exercise and fit-ness, Strand noticed that the familyrequired broader opportunities. “I wasvery blunt about it,” Haili admits.“When he first came home, we werestingy with our time. We hadn’t hadhim home in a long time.”So, Strand arranged services for the

entire family. The package, which wasfunded in part by the Richland SeniorAssociation, included:• Swimming pool passes for theentire family

• Tickets to themed events at the poolduring the summer

• Tickets to Cinema Under the Starsevents

• A personal trainer for both Strick-land and his eldest son

• Dance classes for Strickland and hiswife

• Computer classes.Strand is currently working on

adding home-improvement or garden-ing classes, where community memberscould learn skills to help improve theirhomes.In addition to the fitness component,

which Strickland says is helping himlose weight gained since the injury andfrom medications, he admits feeling thepull to get out into the community. “Myown comfort level (because of thePTSD) would be to just sit at home andclose the blinds and lock the world out,”Strickland says. “This gets me out.”Such invitations take pressure of

Haili too. “He can go out, and I don’thave to push,” she says. “These are funthings he can get out and do. His mind


help from others or anything free,” shesays. “I like knowing what’s going ondown there now. I’m constantly takingmental notes where I can, at somepoint, give back. There are so manythings I just did not know were goingon in my community.”The Army in tandem with NRPA and

its local park and recreation agencies

did that. “To be sitting in the driver’sseat as this whole thing goes along ispretty awesome,” says Strickland,adding that Lt. Col. Bolton, who headsup Task Force Phoenix, is “a step above,a real visionary.”As for being a guinea pig, Strickland

says, “If you’re sending me home, youcan call me whatever you want.” P&R

doesn’t have to be constantly what hap-pened and the injuries.”It helps their budget as well since tak-

ing a family of six out for dinner and amovie can top $200. “It gives you lots ofoptions,” Haili says. “The programallows him to come home and haveremote care. Working side by side (withpeople at the community center) giveshim family time, and it makes that apriority. He doesn’t have to choosebetween the military and his family.”Strickland’s eldest son, Taylor,

enjoyed his one-on-one workout time.“It was really fun working out with mydad and stuff,” he says. “Now that he’shome, that’s our new normal.”The community connections forged

through the Remote Warrior Care pro-gram opened up the Stricklands’ world.Haili admits never really knowing whatwent on at the community center,despite signing the boys up for T-ball orother activities. “It’s hard for me to take

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NRPA Also Helps WithMilitary Base Sportsand Fitness Programs

U.S. Paralympics and NRPA haveteamed up to consult with severalArmy bases around the country todevelop adapted sport and recreati-ion programs for wounded soldiers.Morale, Welfare, and Recreation pro-grams (MWR) are the military versionof recreation as most NRPA membersknow it. Lt. Col. Bolton wanted toexpand fitness programs beyondwhat’s known in the Army as the“daily dozen”: pushups, sit-ups,jumping jacks, running, and so forth.With NRPA’s and U.S. Paralympicshelp, Bolton’s staff added things like aquatics, sit volleyball, and spin-ning classes.

“(NRPA and U.S. Paralympics) helpedus build a holistic, a comprehensivefitness program with some competi-tion built in as well to inspire our sol-diers,” Bolton says.

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