Wounded Iraq, Afghanistan war vets learn to surf Pismo waves

PISMO BEACH, Calif. Wounded soldiers home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan learned to ride surfboards in the waves near the Pismo Pier.

It was the second year for the surfing clinic known as Operation Restoration, which assembles a group of volunteers to teach war veterans to surf. It's part of an Operation Comfort effort to help wounded vets.

A film crew from the yet-to-be-released surf movie "Shaped" and surfers from the Billabong apparel company joined veterans from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

"You don't have to let an injury like this get in the way of living life," said Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Chad Jukes, whose right leg was maimed by an anti-tank mine in December.

"Stuff like this helps us all realize that no, this is not the case," Jukes said of Operation Restoration. "You can still go out and have some fun. You don't have to let an injury like this get in the way of living life."

Operation Comfort director Janis Roznowski said the organization works with wounded servicemen and servicewomen by engaging them in adaptive sports and other activities, like surfing.

"It's really good for morale," Jukes said. "It gets people out doing stuff, out of the hospital. In Texas (at Brooke Army Medical Center), it's appointment after appointment."

Injured vets ride the waves
http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2007/09/26/news/featurednews/news01.txt
By Josh Petray/Staff Writer

For the second consecutive year, a group of injured veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan immersed themselves in waters south of the Pismo Pier for an surfing clinic known as Operation Restoration.

Surrounded by a group of volunteers, a film crew from the to-be-released surfing flick “Shaped” and a surfing crew from apparel company Billabong, the veterans from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, got the chance to rehabilitate and relax after their service abroad.

The first Operation Restoration, sponsored by a nonprofit organization called Operation Comfort, happened last year in Pismo Beach.

For Utah’s Chad Jukes - an avid rock climber and staff sergeant in the Army Reserve - Operation

Restoration II was a chance to help others realize that extreme sports are possible for injured vets and those with disabilities.

It was Jukes’ first year attending the event after being injured Dec. 17, 2006, when a truck he was a passenger in hit an anti-tank mine and left his right leg appearing as a “mashed up pile of bone, more or less,” in X-ray images, he said.

“More recently injured guys and those with disabilities ... a lot of them will think that life has changed, almost even ended,” Jukes said.

“You don’t have to let an injury like this get in the way of living life,” he continued. “Stuff like this helps us all realize that no, this is not the case ... you can still go out and have some fun. You don’t have to let an injury like this get in the way of living life.”

Janis Roznowski, director of Operation Comfort, said the organization works with wounded servicemen and servicewomen by engaging them in adaptive sports and other activities, like surfing.

“It’s really good for morale,” Jukes said of the event. “It gets people out doing stuff, out of the hospital. In Texas (at Brooke Army Medical Center), it’s appointment after appointment.”

The event was organized through Petty Officer Derek McGinnis and Roznowski, who heard local surfer/amputee Rodney Roller had organized a successful surfing clinic for civilian amputees in 2004.

“I just hope that I can send a message to the surfing world that amputees and disabled people can still surf and to help support us and our endeavors,” said Roller, a Grover Beach resident. “And I hope that the troops realize that there is life after disability and that life there’s still plenty of life to live, and that if you can catch a wave, you can do anything.”

For many of the veterans, it was the chance to reconnect with a pastime they had once embraced or, perhaps, a new experience they will carry with them.

Lance Cpl. Brian McGonagoe of Ohio - now a resident of San Antonio - had surfed once before in North Carolina but never under formal instruction.

And through it all, the support exhibited by the community and dedication of the troops was reciprocated by all those involved for the brief time they were here, Sept. 23 to 25.

“It’s really great - all the support we’ve been receiving from Americans all over the country,” McGonagoe said. “It really helps the healing of our soul.”

September 26, 2007

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.