Military vets show the true meaning of courage

 

 

By Kevin Woo | One+

 

Alan Babin was shot in the stomach and hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade during a fierce firefight less than two months into his tour of duty in Iraq. He spent the next seven months in intensive care at Walter Reed Hospital and underwent more than 70 surgeries, including five operations to repair brain damage caused by a stroke. He lost his ability to walk and talk, and for a time, he could only communicate by blinking.

 

When Babin enlisted in the U.S. Army, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, his goal in life was simple: he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents (who also served in the military), and protect his country. In January 2003, Babin and other members of the 82nd Airborne Division were deployed to Iraq and stationed in the city of As Samawah, where they provided protection for a major supply line that ran from Kuwait to Baghdad. It was there that his life changed forever.

 

This past April, Babin joined 1,200 other disabled military veterans and their families at the 25th annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, held at the Wildwood Lodge in Snowmass, Colorado. The six-day event enabled disabled veterans to participate in a variety of outdoor sports including downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, ice hockey, SCUBA diving, curling and a ski-and-shoot biathlon. They also attended seminars on small business management, entrepreneurship and leadership.

 

Sandy Trombetta, the event organizer, says the goal of the event was to instill a sense of empowerment. “We wanted all attendees to realize that anything is possible if you are willing to work for it,” Trombetta said. “We try to take all the attendees on a journey of self-discovery and challenge from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave. Everything [that the attendees] experience is there by design. I take the energy [from the group] and direct it in a positive way so everyone not only reaches a higher level of self-actualization but also feels self-directed.”

 

The travel partners

 

Because many of the disabled veterans find it difficult to travel, the Winter Sports Clinic experience actually began before they arrived in Snowmass. The event staff provided travel assistance by enlisting the help of volunteers from the USO and specially trained United Airlines employees to provide airport-to-airport support.

 

United Airlines transported the disabled veterans on a specially designed jet to accommodate wheelchairs and used heavy-duty lifting equipment to get the passengers on and off the plane safely.

 

Since the attendees were dependent on medical equipment and medication, it was critical that no baggage was lost. As the vets arrived at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, they were met by dozens of local volunteers and United Airlines baggage handlers who worked quickly to match luggage and medical gear with owners.

 

Once the vets and their luggage were matched, the vets were shuttled to the Wildwood Lodge in customized vans. As each veteran arrived, a hotel staff member or event volunteer provided one-on-one assistance to make a variety of on-the-spot arrangements to accommodate specific needs.

 

The visually impaired downhill skier

 

One special needs attendee was Gulf War vet Lonnie Bedwell. Fourteen years ago, Bedwell was shot in the face and blinded in a hunting accident. Bedwell attended his first Winter Sports Clinic in April, and under the guidance of a volunteer instructor, he learned to ski. Bedwell’s first runs took place on bunny slopes, but after a few hours, he decided that he wanted to test his newly learned skills on more challenging runs.

 

As Bedwell and his instructor rode the ski lift for his first full-mountain run, Bedwell was told that he had the option of being guided down the mountain via a rope tied around his waist or he could ski freestyle while the instructor provided voice instructions. Bedwell chose the latter.

 

Over dinner after his first day on the mountain, Bedwell shared his first ski experience with other veterans. They asked how he managed to navigate down the side of a mountain with only the aid of voice commands. Bedwell said the key to success was developing trust, that the instructor would provide the right instructions and that he could execute as directed. As Bedwell shared the details of his first ski experience, he urged everyone—from amputees to those in wheelchairs—to give the sport a try. Many heeded his advice.

 

“The courage that I saw from all the participants was inspiring, humbling and an honor,” Bedwell said. “I understand what ‘disabled’ means. To me, [the word] disabled means ‘I can’t.’ I prefer to think of myself as disadvantaged. Everyone—the blind, amputees and quadriplegics—found a way to make it down that mountain.”

 

Attending the Winter Sports Classic also changed Babin’s parent’s outlook. After Alan’s return from Iraq, and through years of rehabilitation, his mother, Rosie, focused her energy on Alan’s recovery. She says that prior to attending the clinic the family spent most of its time trying to find ways to manage the things that Alan couldn’t do. The clinic showed the Babin’s that they needed to think about the situation differently. They needed to focus on the things Alan could do, and help him develop new skills so he could continue to improve.

 

Alan pushed his physical abilities to the limit when he took a SCUBA diving lesson. It was the first time in more than eight years that he was able to participate in an activity without his wheelchair. “He was finally able to feel free,” Rosie said. “It was liberating and opened our minds to the possibilities of what could be.”

 

The clinic’s activities didn’t end at sundown. Each night, the vets and their families headed to Snowmass Village for dinner and dancing. When the group arrived, they discovered that the local restaurants and retail stores had transformed the village to accommodate those with physical disabilities. Special wheelchair ramps were built throughout the village and a small army of volunteers provided assistance to anyone who needed it.

 

Bedwell says that seeing how the business owners, residents of Snowmass Village, fellow soldiers and others at the conference went out of their way to ensure that everything was accessible demonstrated an indescribable display of human kindness.

 

“One night, there was a double amputee on the dance floor, and she desperately wanted to shake her booty just like everyone else,” Bedwell said. “A man picked her and her wheelchair up so she could feel like she was dancing. It was overwhelming and humbling for us to see.”

 

The future

 

Alan Babin continues his rehabilitation and plans to spend more time skiing, SCUBA diving, working out and improving his computer skills.

 

“Before the week in Snowmass, all I worried about was whether I would ever be able to walk again,” he said. “I couldn’t figure out what [our family] was doing [at the event] because I couldn’t move much.”

 

He says that getting onto an ice rink and playing sled hockey gave him a renewed sense of optimism. “The clinic changed me from seeing myself as a patient to a combat veteran overcoming the challenges of recovery and improving my body so I can participate in life physically, even if I can’t speak or communicate very well,” he said.

 

Bedwell has more “modest” goals. This summer, he plans to learn to water ski, kayak and rock climb. His dream is to be the first blind contestant on Dancing With the Stars.

 

“I’ve got two choices in life: fear or live,” he said. “If I live in fear, I’ll accomplish nothing. But if I decide that I’m willing to try, I can say, ‘I did that’ and then ask, ‘Can I get better at it?’”

 

Bedwell holds down a full-time job as a construction worker. He spends his days hanging dry wall, doing electrical work and climbing up and down ladders to lay shingles on roofs. He stays physically active by walking four-to-five miles a day (with the aid of a handheld GPS) near his home in Dugger, Indiana.

 

As he reflected on the Winter Sports Clinic experience, Bedwell humbly revealed that his peers had voted him the event’s most inspirational veteran and that he was presented with the Linnie Howard Spirit Award. As he thought about the honor, Bedwell broke into tears.

 

“When I got home and told my parents that I’d won the award, my dad told me he was proud of me for everything that I have accomplished.”

 

We all are.

 

* * *

 

Profile side bar:  Sandy Trombetta

 

Sandy Trombetta did the unthinkable in 1981: he convinced a disabled veteran to try a new sport called adaptive skiing. He heard a radio commercial promoting free ski lessons and convinced his colleague, who suffered from a severe neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre, to tag along for a day on the slopes. Trombetta says that at first the duo spent most of their time on their backsides as they learned how to navigate the mountain.

 

“I must have picked him up 30 times when all of a sudden he said to me, ‘I can do this myself,’” Trombetta said. “When you are disabled, everything in your life goes in slow motion. You face barriers, and people notice your disability but not you. You’re always on the outside looking in. But that day on the mountain, the veteran was able to go fast, feel the sun on his face and feel free.

That’s when I knew I had a good idea.”

 

Trombetta, who at the time was a recreational therapist for the Veterans Administration (VA), spent the next four years figuring out how to organize an event that would allow disabled veterans to take part in a variety of winter sports. Not surprisingly, his idea was met with heavy skepticism from VA management and potential sponsors. For years, Trombetta was told that he’d never be able to pull off an event for veterans with disabilities.

 

“In the beginning, people weren’t accepting of disabled veterans,” he said. “I had to raise all the money and conceptualize every aspect of planning, as no one had ever heard or thought of such an event. I received a lot of resistance. This just fueled me more, because I was on a mission and knew I was on to something that could change peoples’ lives, able bodied as well as disabled.”

Trombetta says that the biggest gift he can give to attendees is to create an environment where they can experience a journey of self-discovery and challenge without even realizing it. He also works hard to ensure that family members, volunteers and staff are invested in the event.

 

“At an event like this, sometimes folks are on the sidelines looking in and actually become codependent, getting off on the accomplishments of the participants,” he said. “We want everyone to participate so they understand that by working together and working hard anything is possible.” One+