HAPPY TRAILS!! . . . .(SKI TRAILS, THAT IS)

On January 11, a happy group of 21 wounded warriors and their families made their way to Sun ValleyIdaho and everyone eventually “hit the ski trails.” Operation Comfort in conjunction with the Wood River Ability program, Red River Valley Fighter Pilots’ Association, Disabled Sports USA, and the Air Warrior Courage Foundation made the trip possible.  For many of the soldiers and their families it was a life altering experience. 

 It was the 3^rd winter veterans ski camp.  This trip was especially fantastic because for the first time, burn patients were able to make the journey.  With the expertise of Marc Mast, Executive Director of the Wood River Ability Program, everyone had the opportunity to participate. 

Marc has been teaching adaptive skiing for the past 25 years.  With his excellent coaching, all our attendees learned how to ski or snowboard. It was truly exhilarating to watch these heroes “swoosh” down the slopes--and the guys thought it was pretty awesome as well! As a side note, Andy, one of our wounded soldiers who went with us to Sun Valley and now lives there,  is training to be a paralympian. 

A surprise reunion for a few heroes from the 173^rd Airborne made the trip especially memorable. One soldier from Albuquerque had been injured in Afghanistan and had been air vac’d out.  His buddy from Detroit hadn’t seen him since that day and was in Sun Valley with us.  A third soldier from the 173^rd joined our group as well.  It was great to witness the camaraderie between these men. 

Special kudos to The David Ketchum Post 115 of the American Legion. For the 3rd year the post has assigned drivers to the injured soldiers and marines, taking them to the ski slopes, the lodge, and to dinner.  We are extremely grateful to these volunteers who were such an important part of the trip and we couldn’t have done it without them.

The folks in Sun Valley were extraordinarily generous in their support for our wounded soldiers.  Special thanks to Bob and Nancy Wickman for accompanying the troops, along with Janis and Tom Roznowski.  Last but certainly not least, we want to thank local River Rat, Ginger Melfi Burns, for helping out.