BUZZBAIT [CAUS E S ]
Heroes Hail Healing Waters P
KAYAK FISHING GIVES INJURED VETERANS THE SPACE TO MEND BY PAUL LEBOWITZ
addle, fish, heal. Tose three words com- prise the motto of Heroes on the Water
(
www.heroesonthewater.org), a non-profit dedicated to help injured military person- nel overcome their many challenges through kayak fishing. Now at 31 local chapters and growing fast, the volunteer-based organi- zation gets recovering veterans out of the military’s clinical system and onto the water. Once there, they can rediscover a measure of success through physical prowess, enjoy the rough-hewn camaraderie of their fellow vet- erans, or simply decompress in the healing embrace of nature. Te need is enormous. Over two million
American service members have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since the 9/11 terror- ist attack. HOW president Jim Dolan says at least 630,000 of them are coping with trau- matic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder—more are amputees, or have suf- fered other serious physical traumas. “It’s a lonely road when you get injured. I
can’t say exactly why [the HOW program] works. In some cases, no one had let these vet- erans out to do something like this. It means a tremendous amount to build confidence. It speaks to something deep in the spirit. I can do this. I’m still functional here,” Robert Aiken says. Aiken, a marine who sustained gunshot wounds in Iraq in 2004, started as a HOW participant. Now he’s a member of the organization’s new, veteran-studded board of directors. To those unfamiliar with kayak fishing’s
healing waters, the idea that it is therapeu- tic may seem odd. Dolan acknowledges the organization has encountered official skepti- cism in the past. Tat’s changed as more sol- diers, sailors, airmen and marines have gone through the program. “Te military is starting to see us as ther-
apy for the guys and gals rather than a rec- reational event,” Dolan says. Tat’s exempli- fied by a new 10-week program for wounded warriors assigned to the Brooke Army Medi- cal Center. Teir job is to heal and that’s it. Dolan says the program is overseen by one of the top recreational therapists in the mili- tary community, providing a welcome shot of credibility expected to open doors through- out the military. “Our goal at the national level is to handle
the bureaucracy so our chapter volunteers can take troops fishing,” Dolan says. He
18…KAYAK ANGLER EARLY SUMMER 2011
“I can do this.” A HOW veteran takes to the healing waters. PHOTO: JOE WINSTON
doesn’t require much more. “I don’t need big powerboats or certified therapists. It’s simple and inexpensive,” he adds. But not without cost; HOW still needs donations, not just monetary but in skills, volunteer time and kayak fishing equipment. HOW was established in 2007. In its early
days, growth oſten outstripped the organi- zation’s capabilities. Dolan sees that coming to an end. A new chapter manual is almost complete. When it’s done, HOW will have a turnkey template for expansion. Within five
years, Dolan expects HOW will have 120 to 130 chapters, annually serving up to 10,000 veterans. That’s 10,000 veterans, each commanding
his or her own kayak, his or her own little world. Aiken says the veterans who’ve been hit the hardest desperately need it. “You give them the space, the environment and all of a sudden the frown turns upside down. It’s a fantastic conduit for real healing. Healing so deep has to happen in its own time,” he says. Time on the water.
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