Nov 17, 2008 1:06 pm US/Pacific
Disabled Vets Ride The Waves Toward New Outlook
SAN DIEGO (CBS) ―
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A disabled veteran learns to surf in San Diego
CBS
For the thousands of U.S. soldiers wounded in the Iraq war, sometimes the best way to heal is to do something unusual.
On a beach in San Diego, that's exactly what they're doing.
It used to be they suited up in desert cammies for service in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now these wounded warriors are tackling the surf.
"When you lose your sight or (have some other) disability, you start losing your self-confidence," said Jeffrey Hackett, who is legally blind. "And I got to where (I thought), 'who's gonna marry a blind guy?' (This) builds your self-confidence. You feel like you can do things."
It's all a part of a Veterans Administration effort to get disabled vets out of the clinics and into the world.
"They're 22 years old, all of a sudden they're in a wheelchair, they feel trapped. There's a huge loss going on in their life. We get them out here on a surfboard, they feel the freedom of the ocean," said Corporal Dana Cummings, who is with the Association of Amputee Surfers.
"The more able I become, the easier this will become too. And right now I'm just having fun, I really am," said a paralyzed veteran named Jacob Lietz.
Every year, 5.5 million vets seek medical care from VA hospitals. But these vets say the waves provide a kind of healing that goes beyond modern medicine.
As a field medic, Carl Berquist treated Marines in Iraq. Then he got hit.
"They have been through some terrible stuff, stuff that people don't even know. I saw the stars and saw the tunnel vision coming in and then I knew exactly what was going on. When I woke back up I asked 'how's my Marines doing?' And I took a deep breath -- 'I'm breathing, I'm alive. It's a good day,'" Carl remembers.
IEDs -- improvised explosive devices -- are the roadside bombs that have left so many servicemen with brain injuries. Others suffer post-traumatic stress.
"We call those invisible disabilities, you can see them walking down the street, you wouldn't even recognize it, but there are stress-related problems and this gives them little baby steps to practice, to learn to deal with different things," says Sandy Trombetta.
Being military men, they don't give up.
In Iraq, Steven Scott was the commander and Ryan Loney was his gunnery sergeant. Now, with the commander hurt, the gunny's in charge.
"We went in (to Iraq) with 56 (men) and came out with 56 -- brought everyone home, trained everybody ourselves and had a good tour. I love you for that man," said Scott standing on the beach with his arm around Loney.
Without his sight, Jeffrey has a tough time. But after countless wipe-outs, he finally caught a perfect wave.
"This is a change-in-life thing!" Hackett exclaimed after his run.
"These guys will never forget this," added Cpl. Cummings.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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