A group of wounded veterans spent a week on St. John thanks to the non-profit program Team River Runner, which is dedicated to health and healing through adaptive kayak. The wounded veterans, who served in wars spanning from Vietman to Iraq, paddled in local waters daily, and enjoyed a warm welcome from St. John community and local businesses. Sadie Sea owners Tom and Amy Larson, fourth and fifth from left, helped TRR officials organize the week and transported the group to and from Red Hook.
Wounded veterans took part in daily paddling sessions while on St. John. The group also enjoyed a movie night with author Homer Hickam, meals from local restaurants and the company of fellow wounded veterans grappling with many of the same issues and barriers. The St. John community was honored to have the veterans on island for the week.
As the nation celebrated Veteran’s Day on Sunday, November 11, a group of 19 wounded veterans from the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan, wrapped up a week of paddling and snorkeling out of Cinnamon Bay Campground with Team River Runner.
“It was a great trip,” said Bill Sturges of New York, who lost a leg in the Army National Guard. “The best part was the group itself. Just the make up of everybody here – and the island too – we had a really warm reception everywhere we went.”
“It’s the community we feel in the group that is amazing,” said Stefan LeRoy, 21, who recently lost both of his legs in Afghanistan. “Some of the guys I knew a little bit, but now I know them really well. It’s a great way to build community and that’s important.”
It was the fifth trip Team River Runner has hosted to St. John in the past six years, explained the group’s founder Joe Mornini.
“This was year five out of six,” said Mornini. “I will never forget the year we had to cancel the trip because we didn’t have the funds. I remember exactly where I was when I had to call those 10 veterans and break that news.”
TRR was founded by Mornini and several other Washington, D.C. area kayak enthusiasts at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2004. Since then, veterans who have gone through the TRR program have returned to their home towns and launched local chapters of the organization.
Today about 1,000 participants take part each year in TRR programs at one of 38 different chapters across the country. The group’s mission is simple yet profound — to facilitate health and healing through adaptive kayak.
This year’s TRR group included both advanced paddlers and several veterans who recently found the sport. Mike Bradley, 31, of D.C., started paddling with TRR eight months ago. After vowing to never get in a boat, he has since become passionate about the sport and camaraderie of TRR.
“When I heard of TRR I wanted no part of it; I thought it was stupid,” Bradley said. “A friend came to town and he was with TRR, so I went down to the pool to see him. I got in a boat that day and thought, ‘I’ll never do that again.’”
“But I really liked Joe [Mornini] and I wanted to talk to him again, so two days later I went back to the pool,” said Bradley, who was retired from service seven years ago. “Joe actually wasn’t there, but I got in a boat and an hour later I learned to roll. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Today Bradley paddles at least five times a week and has shed more than 50 pounds since he learned how to kayak. The most profound change for Bradley, however, is not visible.
“I was in a really dark place,” he said. “I had been through a lot of bad things and I was depressed. I didn’t realize how bad it was.”
“Through TRR I have found something that I really enjoy,” Bradley said. “When I get out on the water, I don’t have a worry; everything is gone. Afterwards I’m calmer and I’m at peace.”
For Nathan Rimpf, 24, who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan a few months ago, the TRR trip was his first time paddling outside of the Walter Reed pool.
“I met TRR a couple of weeks ago at the pool and I had never paddled before,” said Rimpf. “I didn’t know how I would be able to walk on my prosthetics in the sand or how I would get in the boat. But now I know that I can do it.”
Rimpf has also taken part in other adaptive sports, like hand cycling and scuba diving, which all fills TRR’s mission of helping wounded veterans gain independence.
“I want to know what I am capable of doing,” said Rimpf. “I don’t want to be a boring disabled. I want to keep going after it and pushing myself and see what I can do.”
The TRR St. John program, which is a leadership development week hosting some of the most motivated members, is self-sufficient, being funded by local events like the late-August Chaotic Kayak Race and other local efforts, explained John Schuld, a program coordinator for TRR and a veteran himself.
“Because this program is self-sufficient, it really is a model for other programs across the country,” said Schuld. “Through the Chaotic Kayak Race and Moe Chabuz’s 8 Tuff Miles fundraiser, we are able to bring these guys here.”
“We spend every dollar we raise bringing these veterans down for this week,” said Brandi Schuld, who also played a key role in organizing this year’s TRR St. John trip.
The veterans, along with TRR’s sole full time employee Administrative Director Dana Larcenaire, the Schulds and Mornini arrived on St. John on Sunday, November 4, and took part in a full week of activities.
The group stayed at Cinnamon Bay Campground and paddled each day of their trip. Several local restaurants, including Ocean Grill, Ronnie’s Pizza, Skinny Legs, Iguana Grill and High Tide, hosted meals during the week.
Sadie Sea owner Tom Larson coordinated local efforts and also used his vessel to transport the group to and from Red Hook. Crabby Watersports and Cinnamon Bay Watersports donated the use of snorkel equipment and kayaks, as did Arawak Expiditions.
Local musicians Matt Mikrut and Johnny B performed for the group. The local AARP Chapter and Viggo E. Sewer American Legion Post #131 hosted a BBQ for TRR during the week.
Author Homer Hickam, who owns a house on St. John, hosted a movie night where “October Sky,” based on his book “Rocket Boys,” was screened. Hickam also answered questions after the film, John Schuld explained.
“Homer told the guys that they are American heros and that’s something that is hard for a lot of these guys, who are so selfless, to accept,” said Schuld. “Coming from Homer, that really struck a chord for these guys.”
For more information about TRR, and how to support the group, check out www.teamriverunner.org.
