Last week marked the 22nd National Disabled
Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, held in Snowmass Village, CO. Run by the
Disabled American Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the clinic
is touted to be the largest of its kind and “is open to veterans with traumatic brain injuries,
spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations, visual impairments, certain
neurological problems and other disabilities” (Rosenberry). A total of 391
Veterans attended the event, with ages ranging from 20 to 85. Participants ranged
from War World II veterans to veterans from Iraq, with the
highest number (96) of veterans being Vietnam veterans.
At the week long clinic (March 30 – April 4), veterans
bonded over a variety of activities, including snowmobiling, skiing,
cross-country skiing, scuba diving, sled hockey, fly fishing, curling, rock
climbing, sport shooting, archery, fencing, Snow Cat/Gondola rides, workshops
on self defense, snowshoeing, and more. “There’s a recurring topic of
conversation at Snowmass: Don’t be angry about the change in your life. You
discover you abilities when it appears they’ve been taken away” (Rosenberry).
Some of the older veterans were especially determined to motivate the younger
veterans and show them that they still have a lot to offer.
Bob Eiden, a Korean War veteran, “remembers all too clearly
what it felt like to be cut down in his prime…and said he sees a lot of the
same emotions he felt in combat-wounded troops returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan. ‘Some come back depressed; they don’t want to do anything but sit
in a wheelchair. They think that their life is over…Well, I’m here to show them
that there’s still life after a disability. I hope my being here will show
other people that their life isn’t over’” (America News Today).
For more information, check out Winter Sports give Disabled
Vets a Lift (Rosenberry) or Senior Citizen Hits Slopes to Inspire Younger
Disabled Vets (America News Today). Information about the clinic, as well as photos
and clinic newsletters, is also available on the VA’s website.
