Free Republic

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 6, 2007 – Sgt. Luke Murphy stretched out his prosthetic leg as he sat on the ground beneath the ski roster hoping beyond hope that someone would be a no-show and he’d get their slot for another spin down the mountain. Army Cpl. Shane Parsons, a 4th Infantry Division soldier who lost both legs and suffered a traumatic brain injury in Ramadi, Iraq, shimmies up the rock-climbing wall at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, Colo. Photo by John Buehler  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 101st Airborne Division soldier...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 2, 2007 – Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson opened the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic here last night, offering special thanks to wounded warriors of Iraq and Afghanistan and encouraging them to seize the opportunities that await them here. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and his wife, Suzanne, greet participants in the 21st National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic during a “Taste of Aspen” opening-day event at Snowmass Village, Colo. Veterans Affairs photo by Elaine Buehler  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “There is controversy about this war, but there is...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - In the dining hall of the U.S. Olympic Complex, instantly recognizable speedskating champion Apolo Anton Ohno sat at a large, round table, talking to some unrecognizable young men who had gathered to meet him after the dinner rush ended. But on this night, it turns out Ohno was the ordinary guy. Around him were men who, leaning to one side, wearing baggy shirts, sitting quietly with their hands in their laps, only looked ordinary. One of Bill Wright's legs is mangled, but at least he has both of them. Anthony Smith's right arm is missing and...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 5, 2006 – When he was undergoing treatment 16 years ago following a near-fatal accident in Germany, Paul Miosek asked Red Cross volunteer Jim Mayer for just two things: a poster of Madonna and a milkshake. Disabled Army veteran Paul Miosek (left) reunites with Jim Mayer, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee and long-time volunteer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, at the 20th Annual Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, in Snowmass Village, Colo. Miosek credits Mayer with opening his eyes to new possibilities while living with a disability. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for...