Posted on 10/29/2009 2:05:12 AM PDT by Daffynition
This is a two-fold story about an adaptive sports rehabilitation program for severely disabled US soldiers who are veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The first half focuses on a river rafting trip down the Salmon River in Idaho, the second focuses on the medical facility where these men have been rehabilitated. It is a story of how these men reach a point where they can embrace life again and feel a reason to go forward despite their permanent, often horrifying injuries.
The three soldiers on the river trip are Major Anthony Smith, 39, an African American man who was severely wounded in the hip in Iraq while on deployment. He is missing an arm, is recovering from 4 bullet wounds and has only partial use of his right leg and hip after being struck by an RPG. Damien Jacobs, 30, is a Marine Staff Sergeant with a below the knee amputation as a result of an IED explosion in Iraq. Andy Soule, 25, is a specialist who was blown out of his vehicle by an IED in Afghanistan. Andy is a double above the knee amputee.
Major Smith brought his wife Jacqueline Smith on the trip and Shannon Jacobs, 27, accompanied her husband Marine Staff Sergeant Damion Jacobs. The story began in Sun Valley Idaho, where Andy Soule unexpectedly broke one of his prosthetic legs just before leaving for the rafting trip. Andy had to make a snap decision whether or not he would go without his legs. There was no hesitation on his part and that set a tone for the entire trip. There was nothing these guys wouldn’t try and couldn’t work out a way to do.
The river rafting trip is a free initiative from NGO “Higher Ground,” a program run by Sun Valley Adaptive sports in Ketchum Idaho. They are an NGO affiliated with the Veterans Administration looking to provide sports based meaningful rehabilitation experiences for disabled veterans. The program involved taking the soldiers down the Main Salmon River on a 4 day river rafting trip and then offering them the opportunity afterwards to pursue further sporting interests such as climbing, paragliding, kayaking and horse-riding. The program encourages disabled veterans to bring their wives on the trip. It is aimed at a healthier and speedier recovery through outdoor recreation for both of them.
After the river trip I spent a day where I photographed Soule and Jacobs learning to climb, to horse ride, to bike ride and to paraglide. These were firsts for these men since the loss of their limbs. To call them competent would be a massive understatement.
The second part of this story involved a short 36 hour visit to San Antonio Texas where the Brook Army Medical Center, (BAMC), is located. This is the most advanced severe burns unit and amputee rehabilitation center in the military world. The pictures here follow 2 central characters. First came PFC Josh Stein, 22, a double amputee rehabilitation patient at Brook Army Medical Centre. Stein lost his legs to an EFP explosion in Iraq on Easter Sunday 2006.
Stein was a Bradley driver at the time of the attack. The explosion ripped through the armored vehicle and removed his legs; the heat was so extensive that much of his wounds were cauterized immediately. Stein still had the presence of mind to drive the vehicle out of the attack zone and park it before he passed out. He is one of the most positive patients BAMC have ever had, therapists say that his rate of all-round recovery in such a short time is unprecedented.
PFC Stein plans to study psychology as soon as he is well enough so as he might counsel other people in his position. He is photographed working out in the rehabilitation gym at BAMC, on an adaptive waterskiing outing in San Antonio and at home with his wife and 2 young daughters.
The second patient I focused on is Marine Corporal Merlin German, 20, a survivor of 98% 3rd and 4th degree burns. Simply put, German is a medical miracle and only survived as a result of access to cutting edge medical technology made possible ironically enough by the conflict driven medical advances of the last 5 years. Cpl German is pictured on the 2nd day on which he is attempting to exercise since his injuries occurred. This is a very painful process for him. It involves him tearing his tissues repeatedly until his new body is ready to manifest. I first photographed him stretching with his physical therapist and then I photographed him suspended on a treadmill. His mother Lourdes German looks on at her 20year old son as he attempts to regain his ability to walk unassisted.
This story is about a group of men who as a result of their horrific experiences have had to evolve to a point most of us could not imagine. They have climbed over a mountain of physical pain and mental obstacles and have done so for the most part as a result of individual character, the support of their fellow injured veterans, the love of their families and the efforts of a fantastically committed medical team.
There are over 4000 amputee victims of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, there are over 27 000 severely injured. This is not a story about whether it was right to be in those places, it is not a story designed to damn the Bush administration. It’s beyond that. It is a piece about private individual heroism and the real triumph of the human spirit. Nowhere have I seen it more evident than in these men I had the privilege of spending time with.
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