By Tom Hall, AW2 Guest Blogger

Adaptive ski instructers Beth Troutman, Manny Pina, and Jim Zsiga.

Some of the best snow conditions in recent memory greeted a very special group of skiers during the weekend of February 27-28, at Liberty Mountain in southern Pennsylvania. The Fourth Annual Wounded Warriors weekend saw 15 Soldiers from Fort Belvoir, Fort Meade, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center enjoy two days of skiing and snowboarding with their families.

The weekend’s events also included sponsored dinners in Gettysburg on Friday and Saturday evenings, thanks to generous contributions from The Quality Inn and the Best Western Gettysburg Hotel.

However, the highlight of the weekend was almost certainly the surprise visit by First Lady Michelle Obama, who was coincidentally skiing at Liberty Mountain on Sunday. During lunch, the First Lady, for whom advocacy of military families is a signature cause, came through and shook hands with Warriors and instructors alike, and thanked the Soldiers for their service and sacrifice.

The skiers and snowboarders who signed up for the event through their Warrior Transition Units had the opportunity to receive lessons from the instructional staff at Blue Ridge Adaptive Snow Sports (BRASS), a nonprofit organization that links up ski and snowboard instructors from Liberty Mountain with skiers for specialized instruction geared towards individual disabilities.

First-year instructor Bruce Bennett noted the irony in the Warriors calling the instructors ‘heroes,’ while his student for the weekend was able to ski without physical support following a traumatic brain injury that has resulted in three years of physical therapy and requiring a cane to walk.

The Warriors’ disabilities ranged from extensive shrapnel wounds and a shattered humorous to amputated legs and traumatic brain injuries, but that stopped no one from enjoying the great snow conditions and warm weather. Depending on the nature of the injury, BRASS is equipped with specialized equipment that improve the Warriors’ experience.

The biggest goal of the weekend is to provide an opportunity to be outside and break the routine of physical therapy, while still getting valuable exercise. Many of the Warriors skied and snowboarded prior to their injuries. This program allows them to return to an activity they loved while giving them the tools to adapt to their new physical condition.

Instructor Beth Troutman’s student, who had only skied once before her injury, was so excited that she showed up one hour early. She enjoyed the experience so much that she now hopes to become an instructor herself.

One of the best examples for them to emulate, is one of the BRASS instructors, Manny Pina, who lost a leg in a motor vehicle accident after returning from Iraq. Since then, he has learned to ski without his prosthetic—what is called ‘three-tracking’—and has been instructing other adaptive skiers for the past two years. During the weekend he skied a double-black diamond (skier lingo for the most difficult terrain) for the first time, while one of the Warriors with whom he was skiing made her first trip down an intermediate level trail for the first time since her injury, which had left her knees extremely weak.

Instructor Cheryl Monroe noticed that while everyone was nervous at the outset on Saturday morning, she saw changes in everyone’s confidence by the afternoon and following day, reflecting the sense of accomplishment that came from conquering individual fears and the physical challenge presented by the mountain.

Although the program for Wounded Warriors has focused on one weekend per season for the last four years, organizers are hopeful that this winter’s record attendance will lead to more regular participation in the future. Fort Meade Warrior Transition Unit Coordinator Sandra Santos called this a worthwhile goal, as her desire consistent among all the coordinators, was that she could bring the Fort Meade Warriors more often throughout the season.

Adaptive Program Supervisor Leslie White also felt that the very successful weekend made her look forward to a more sustained program for the next season by working directly with the Warrior Transition units.

The author is a volunteer adaptive ski instructor and an active duty lieutenant colonel in the Army.

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By Lee McMahon, WTC Stratcom

The Army is built on strong leaders. They are the individuals whose impact stays with you for years to come. I had a chance to learn about one such leader from someone just starting his path in the Army. On February 1, CPT Scott Smiley takes command of the West Point Warrior Transition Unit. I had a chance to talk with a first year cadet, Will Webb, at West Point who has known CPT Smiley for nearly 10 years about what kind of leader he is. CPT Smiley is not only becoming a leader of Warriors in Transition, he is a wounded Soldier himself. CPT Smiley was severely injured in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq on April 6, 2005. As a result he lost his sight. This has not stopped him from leading Soldiers and continuing to serve in the Army.

What was your first impression of CPT Smiley?

The first time I met CPT Smiley was Spring of 2000. He and my brother were classmates and he visited our house for the weekend. I was immediately impressed with his humble and personable servant attitude and rock-solid faith. He immediately struck me as the kind of person that genuinely cares about the people he comes in contact with, and someone who I could look up to and emulate.

Has he impacted your experience at West Point with the Army? If so, how?

CPT Smiley has greatly impacted my West Point experience in numerous ways. As an Army Officer and West Point graduate, he has mentored me and supported me through the toughest challenges here at the Academy. As my sponsor, he and his wife, Tiffany, have graciously provided their home as a place of relaxation and refuge from the challenges and demands of the week. And as my bible study leader, he has greatly impacted myself and the others in our group spiritually, and motivated us to choose to walk on the path less traveled, to be godly men of character. There is no doubt that without the influence of CPT Smiley in my life, my overall experience at West Point this year could not have been the same.

What do you think about CPT Smiley taking command of the West Point Warrior Transition Unit?

While I am sad to see CPT Smiley leave his teaching position, I am excited to see him take command of the Warrior Transition Unit. I know that he is thankful for this opportunity, and I am confident that he will continue to excel and have a profound impact on the soldiers that he will soon be commanding.

What are the characteristics of CPT Smiley’s leadership?

CPT Smiley is a selfless, dynamic, and highly successful leader who always puts others first and strives to be a positive influence on them. He is the kind of leader who looks for ways to challenge himself and then eagerly conquers those challenges. As a highly capable and experienced leader, CPT Smiley can be trusted to accomplish any task set before him.

Note: To read an interview with CPT Smiley and his wife Tiffany, please visit the WTC Blog.

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