Support and Appreciation for our Troops

The articles, writings and visual displays contained in the pages that follow have been submitted and selected to both inspire and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed so much in order that we may enjoy the freedoms and independence that is too often taken for granted. God Bless all who have served in our military. May each of them find strength and peace while facing life's many challenges!

As citizens of this great country, we should all be proud of all the men and women who have served or who are currently serving in our United States Military. At Therapeutic Adventures, Inc. we continue our ongoing commitment to provide programs and services for veterans - recognizing and honoring the sacrifices which have been made for all of us.

Honoring Heros!

HONOR - [ l. honos, honor] 1. a good name or public esteem. 2. a showing of merited respect. 3. a person of superior standing.

HERO - [L. heros. Fr. Gk. heros] 1. a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and qualities d: one that shows great courage.

The animated e-card that follows has been graciously provided to us from Jacquie Lawson. It is awesome and well worth the short wait to download it!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1545489532

Honor, Freedom, Courage, Loyalty, Independence and Service

These are just some of the core values that have shaped our country. The brave men and women who have served in our military have both lived and promoted these values so that others may enjoy the liberty and the opportunity to pursue the dreams which shape our great nation.

Therapeutic Adventures, Inc. also embraces these values as is evident in our vision, our philosophy and the services which are a function of our approach to rehabilitation and access to outdoors for persons with a disability, chronic medical problem or special health need.

For the past 25 years, Therapeutic Adventures, Inc. has made a commitment to partner with and serve veterans hospitals. We have been honored and privileged to provide outdoor rehabilitation services for disabled veterans who have served in the Korean War, Vietnam, Bosnia, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. We have also worked with those who are victims of war and oppressed societies such as in Somalia, and some Eastern European countries. We could not provide adaptive outdoor programs without the support of and commitment from Paralyzed Veterans Association (PVA), Veterans Hospitals and the associated organizations providing services for veterans.

In times of war, the courageous young men and women of our military regretfully sometimes do not return home. Those who do return, it is safe to say, are forever changed by the events and experiences of combat. For some, the impact is very obvious and visible to others (i.e. traumatic amputation--loss of limbs, or paralysis, leaving the individual confined to a wheelchair). The damages of war, however, often may not always be visible. Some soldiers experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to explosive concussion syndrome. Others experience traumatic hearing loss from explosions. And others experience post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with reoccurring flashbacks and recall of the traumatic events of war. Each of these outcomes of war requires time and intervention in order for healing to occur.

As veterans return home from duty, it is imperative to provide services which integrate them back into productive activities. Adaptive outdoor programs which foster independence and the learning of new skills are important for re-integration back into society. We will continue our efforts using our experience and expertise to design and develop special programs to serve the heroes of our country.

God Bless!

Mark Andrews,
Founder/President
Therapeutic Adventures, Inc.

In 2005, my wife, Teresa had adopted a solider over in Iraq corresponding and sending care packages. One day when Teresa was surfing the web for related information she discovered a website - www.Operationfirstresponse.org. With knowledge of my commitment to providing adaptive outdoor programs for disabled veterans for the past twenty-five years, she said, "Mark you need to contact this organization to see if there is something you can do!"

I called Peggy Baker, Founder/President of Operation First Response. We immediately connected! Peggy's passion for her cause was contagious. I wanted to help Peggy and Operation First Response with the efforts to support Wounded Heroes and Their Families.

Continuing our quarter century commitment of serving disabled veterans with adaptive outdoor programs, Therapeutic Adventures, Inc. wanted to do something special for the young men and women who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I pledged to Peggy to donate 10 learn to ski packages for wounded heroes involved with Operation First Response. Peggy and I continued to correspond by phone and e-mail.

During her weekly visits to Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, MD., Peggy made some contacts. We continued our contacts with military personnel to identify soldiers returning home who would benefit from adaptive snow sports as part of the rehabilitation process. Peggy and I both wanted to serve those individuals who were falling through the cracks and who may not be receiving services. We met with some obstacles in the military chain of command and government bureaucracy. While this could have dampened our enthusiasm, it only made us more focused. We continued to make phone calls to navigate through the maze; we tried to get other key people involved in the process.

In November, one day, out of the blue I received a phone call from Deanna Swartz, the mother of Dean, a young soldier who lost his leg in Iraq. She informed me that Dean used to ski at Massanutten when he was younger. She saw some literature about the Massanutten Adaptive Snow Sports program and called me. I told Deanna, "We were destined to meet. This is just too coincidental. This is the blessing I've been waiting for." After briefly telling Deanna about the plans with Operation First Response, I gave her Peggy's phone number and said that we needed to identify more young men who could join us for a snow sports weekend. I called Peggy and told her the great news.

After many phone calls and e-mails, our weekend was starting to come together. My original idea was slightly altered-we were now moving in the direction of a reunion weekend for Army National Guard Unit 189 deployed from Big Stone Gap and Richlands, VA. I am convinced that this was what we were supposed to do.

Reunion weekend was set for February 24-26. It was only fitting that these young men would be coming to the mountain the same weekend as our annual "Independence Cup" and "Celebration of Independence." Many volunteers and supporters helped to make the weekend a success. We had donations of lodging, food, awards, and complimentary ski packages (lift tickets, instruction, and equipment). The snow sports weekend was provided at no expense to the young college students from University of Virginia at Wise and Virginia Tech. Dean Schwartz, Andy Corbett, Godfrey Pestana, Timothy Richey, and Rion Crabtree served together in the Army National Guard Unit - 189.

The young heroes, their girlfriends and family members arrived Friday evening. When I finally met Deanna in person, it was like getting together with a long time friend. We didn't have to get acquainted; we immediately were at ease with each other. After introductions and a nice meal, we explained the itinerary for the weekend. My wife, Teresa prepared all the wonderful meals served at our condo while other family members helped with the logistics of set-up, serving our guests, and clean-up throughout the weekend. Early Saturday morning, the group met back at our condo for breakfast. Shortly thereafter, we headed for the slopes and got everyone outfitted with ski/snowboard equipment. When I met Peggy, again it was so comfortable, confirming that we were supposed to be working together for an important cause. Peggy's passion and commitment to her mission was even more contagious in person than on the phone or her website. I was glad to be to finally be working with her side by side. After a few hours on the slopes, the group met in the lodge to have a lunch provided complements of Operation First Response. Everyone continued to ski in the afternoon. We had a great dinner at the condo Saturday evening followed by gifts and awards (provided by Operation First Response and Therapeutic Adventures). The heroes each received a commemorative 25 Year -Adaptive Snow Sports T-shirt, a "Circle of Courage" lapel pin, a backpack with water bottle, ball cap and beautiful leather Army jackets.

Sunday the heroes from Army National Guard - Unit 189 participated in the "Independence Cup" - Adaptive Snow Sports race and "Celebration of Independence" awards ceremony. It was great to have them as guests of honor at this event.

After bidding farewell to all our new friends, we realized that the weekend was a tremendous success. These young men are what make our country great! Sharing time with the young men from Army National Guard - Unit 189, their girlfriends and their family members was so special. What made it even better was having members of my family there to be a part of the weekend. The Reunion was all that we had hoped for and more! Everyone benefited from -- The many R's of Reunion! I love it when a plan comes together!

Relationships
Meaningful relationships help us to get through difficult times in our lives. The events and experiences associated with combat have a significant impact on a soldier, leaving a lasting impression his psyche. Living and serving in stressful environments, soldiers develop a unique bond and camaraderie with the other men in their unit-a relationship that will last a lifetime.

Reunion
Getting together with fellow soldiers with whom you have lived and confronted danger is important. Opportunities for family members and other significant others to share the experiences makes the time together even more meaningful.

Respite
A planned time away from demanding everyday routines, in this case the demands of college, helps to give a clear vision and purpose to life.

Reintegration
Quality recreational and leisure activities play an important role in reintegrating individuals into productive social routines.

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is a process of adjustment and re-building that impacts the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains. Adaptive snow sports have been found to play an important role benefiting participants of all ages and all walks of life.

Reflection
Having time to talk about and share memories, to recount and revisit both fond and troubling events in life helps soldiers relate with each other, with friends and with family in productive meaningful dialog.

Please check out the accompanying slide show from this event. Also please check out the article "My Brothers, My Comrades" written by Peggy Baker from "Operation First Response." www.operationfirstresponse.org

Great Eastern Resorts Management (GERM)
Steve Showalter, Ski Area Manager
Teresa, Caleb & Zach Andrews
Jeff & Liz Andrews
Peggy Baker & Family (OFR, VA)
Charlotte Cole
Dave Cook
Operation First Response (Volunteers)
Robert O'Donoghue, (OFR, CT)
Deanna & Ed Swartz
Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, Charlottesville, VA
Blue Ridge Graphics, Charlottesville, VA
Madison House - UVA Student Volunteer Center - Adaptive Snow Sports Volunteers
Therapeutic Adventures, Inc.

Click here for large view

I am particularly taken by the story of Major J. Mark Harrington of the United States Air Force and his wife, Jen, who I had the pleasure to meet this past winter. It is with great admiration and respect that we share their story.

The article below is a brief summary which Major graciously shared with me to share with you, the partners and participants who take part in programs which are a service of Outdoor Independence Training Centers.

By
Major J. Mark Harrington,
United States Air Force

Just three years ago, my wife and I traveled to Yugoslavia to adopt our fourth child, Milica (pronounced Mee-leet-sza). She is our third adopted child from Eastern Europe; sister Tamara is from Russia and brother Alexander (Sasha) is from Ukraine. Older brother Aidan is biologically ours, but he was born in South Korea.

Although we believed we were seasoned veterans at international adoption, we knew Milica's adoption would be our most challenging. She had lived in an orphanage in Belgrade for the first seven years of her life, but that was not the most significant factor. When Milica was one month old, she suffered severe burns to over 40% of her body. The Serbians provided the best care they could, but the burns were so critical that she lost her left leg from the knee down.

Also, as is common in burn cases, there were infections. The result was operations to remove the balls joints from Milica's right shoulder and hip. As she grew, the femur and knee of Milica's right leg, and the humorous of her right arm, developed abnormally.

These physical anomalies sound overwhelming, and at first, they certainly were for Jen and me, but when we look at Milica, it takes our breath sometimes. Her will to survive.her determination to get what she wants.has enabled her to do things the doctors would not have believed possible.

I will always remember the time her first pediatrician looked at her x-rays, and commented without thinking, "how is it that this child walks?" I truly believe the answer to this question is simple; nobody tells her she cannot walk.or ride a horse.or ski down a mountain.

We were thrilled to discover the adaptive ski program at Massanutten. At first, however, we really did not know how Milica would take to the idea of balancing on skis, or traveling fast seemingly without complete control. To our delight, Milica faced this new hurdle head on, chin up, and prosthesis off. I also think it helped a bit that her new ski buddy was a young handsome college man. His good looks lost their power, however, once the real work began.

It took all of Milica's strength and determination to keep those skis under her. As I think back now, this is when the true caring, devotion, patience and strength of these young college kids showed the brightest. I saw the strain on the face of my daughter's partner, and.I saw his broad smile at the base of the slope when he and Milica crossed the finish line. That day, Milica skied down a mountain.just like her brothers and sister. There was no one there to tell her she could not do it, no one there to say your disability is too great.only smiling faces, broad shoulders, aching legs, and.warm hearts.