Most adventure programs provide an outlet for combined body and mind learning outside of the normal human experience, taking advantage of wilderness settings, and in doing so they help provide a catalyst for change along with short-term benefits. The LifeQuest program goes beyond the physical experience itself by combining adventure experiences with continual physical and emotional therapy while encouraging soldiers to apply the experience and what they’ve learned from it to their own daily lives.
Why the Program Exists
The program began early last year when Lt. Col. Andrew Grantham of Fort Carson in Colorado proposed a series of competitive events for wounded soldiers under his command to civilian C.W. Conner. The event was a big hit, and it was decided to continue the program on a continuous basis. Lt. Col. Grantham had noticed that morale was very low and suicide rates too high among the wounded military men, with 43 suicides in 8 years at Fort Carson alone. The idea that Grantham had hoped to instill in the wounded men was that if they could accomplish these events, they could accomplish anything.
C. W. Conner said that they were asked to find a solution that would keep the men’s bodies and minds busy. He believes that the program has already begun to make a difference, with a decrease in the use of pharmaceutical medications and in depression, together with an increased unity of the participants with their families, all of which seem to indicate a decrease in the suicide rate.
What the Adventure Program Entails
All participating Wounded Warriors take part in a comprehensive course involving events, progressive training, equipment and other assistance. The 120-day session covers fifty hours of programming per month which include the following activities: full personal assessment of fitness, motivation, and lifestyle; Individualized strength and conditioning program (which considers their disability and adaptability); lifestyle coaching, motivational skill development; sport specific skill instruction – climbing, kayaking, cycling, etc; squad training (4-6 team mates) 2x/week; nutritional Counseling – (meal plans, how to eat out, etc); two Adventure Race Camps events per month.
There is also hope of setting up a website in the near future that will allow soldiers presently enrolled in the program to work actively with those who have participated in the past, and for the latter to keep in touch with their coaches and team. The program uses a combination of traditional medicine, sports science, physical therapy, neuropsychology, coaching and practical skills.
The first competition included rock climbing, kettle ball, special training with tennis balls, medicine ball workouts and other physical exercises that provided the promoters with the opportunity to determine the extent of physical, psychological and emotional damage that the wounded soldiers had to overcome. Other activities that are now included in the program are orienting, trekking, mountain biking, paddling, climbing and instruction relating to using ropes, while integrating outside adventures with daily exercise classes inside the gym. Soldiers face a final competition at the end of the 4-month session that requires them to use all the skills they have gained during the session.
Adventure Program’s Impact on Wounded Warriors
The program goes beyond the physical injuries that the soldiers may have sustained, and helps them to overcome memories that they are battling with of what they have seen and done while involved in fighting for their country, and gives them a way to vent their emotions and/ or excess energy in a positive manner, instead of relying on negative releases such as alcohol and/ or getting into trouble.
Sgt. First Class Justin Widhalm, the first active participant in the program, was sent home from Iraq after having been pushed out of a hovering helicopter. He had sustained very severe back, knee and foot injuries and his morale was very low. After multiple surgeries and an attempted suicide, Sgt. 1st Class Widhalm was introduced to the program and is now completely mobile and completely satisfied with the results. He said, "It's made me back into the person I want to be. My wife told me it was nice because she was finally getting her husband back. I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life."
Sgt. Brandon Daggs, another participant said, "I'm highly impressed. I've never been challenged, motivated or inspired in so many ways by such a wonderful organization," he said. "You get challenged in new ways in a non-stressful environment. You get to motivate yourself, motivate your peers, to strive for (something) better, and ultimately break out of (your) shell."
Not all participants are enthusiastic about the program at the beginning; in fact, some are downright skeptical, but they quickly change ideas when they discover that the program really does help, because it gives them a purpose for living. Some of them find that just having something to do, to be able to accomplish jobs just like they did before being injured actually motivates them to keep on going and pulls them away from their depression.
What is in the Adventure Program’s Future?
Although the Army is considering the idea of replicating the program in other military installations, some military personnel think it’s a bad idea and that it should be maintained as a civilian operation. Captain Brett Kelley said "I think it is much better done by civilians. LifeQuest at least seems to have the resources and the knowledge and the skills that a lot of us Army personnel are not trained on. Most Army personnel, myself especially, don't have the skills to do what they do for my guys.”
Five hundred members have already gone through the program, after receiving a basic physical evaluation in order to evaluate the progress that has been made. Mr. Conner wants to be able to continue treating all the soldiers who qualify but Mr. Conner and his staff are having a hard time paying the bills by themselves.
All staff is voluntary, and the program is no-cost for the soldiers. Difficulties have been encountered in raising funds, but Mr. Conner insists that it is imperative that they succeed. He stated, “And we have made it happen for the last year-and-a-half. And we can continue to make this happen. It's a matter of will. We need to be the example here. If we're asking these soldiers that are broken, ill, injured, confused, if we're telling them that they can successfully transition, we damn sure should be able to get up every morning and make this door stay open.”
It is to be hoped that this program will continue to serve and treat those brave men and women who have been injured physically and emotionally while serving our country.
Sources:
- The Adventure Program
- PBS News Hour, April 4, 2011
- Chris Ornelas, New Program Helps Wounded Warriors, Feb 18, 2010
