My Life As A Military Spouse

23rd annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki opened the 23rd annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic here last night, encouraging more than 400 participants he said had found their way “to the top of the mountain in search of miracles.”

“Thank you for your service. Thank you for your examples of courage and determination,” the former Army chief of staff told the group, which includes about 150 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. “You have overcome a lot of obstacles in life to be here, and you will overcome many more by the time this clinic is over.”

The clinic, jointly sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans, uses recreation as a rehabilitative tool for veterans with disabilities ranging from spinal cord injuries and orthopedic amputations to visual impairment and neurological conditions.

As they learn adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing and get introduced to rock climbing, scuba diving, trapshooting, wheelchair fencing, sled hockey, snowmobiling, and sled hockey during a six-day program, the veterans' eyes get opened to a whole new world of opportunity.

“I think you will do things this week some of you thought you would never do again,” Shinseki told the veterans. “I hope you are as excited about the experiences you are going to have as all the rest of us are at being here to witness your triumphs.”

Shinseki, a disabled veteran who lost part of his right foot in Vietnam, said experiencing a life-altering event changes the body, but not the person. “Your dreams and hopes are just as real today,” he told the veterans. “It’s the heart and the mind that keep hope alive.”

posted by LoveMyTanker @ 9:47 AM