MY VIEW
Gratified by soldiers’ enjoyment on dives
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Wounded soldiers who went diving on a shipwreck and tried spearfishing with Key Dives pose with dive captain Eric Billips (front row, center) on the dive boat.
The Wounded Warrior project began when several individuals took small yet inspired actions to help others in need. Their objective was to provide tangible support for severely wounded soldiers and help them on the road to recovery, both physically and mentally.
There have been numerous Wounded Warrior programs and events to help these soldiers. Last month the crew at Key Dives in Islamorada offered one up, Florida Key’s style.
“When the coordinator for this particular program contacted me to ask if he could bring some boys down for some diving, of course I jumped at the chance to participate” said Dave Champagne, owner of Key Dives.
“One of the things that surprised me was how young these Marines were. They looked like they should be in a high school biology class, not missing limbs and having scars that told stories.”
The other surprise came when the boys were asked what kind of ocean agenda they were interested in. “DEEP WRECKS AND SPEARFISHING OOH RAH!!” (It seemed they had discussed this beforehand.) So it was decided, Dave and myself would guide these young men on the wreck of “The Eagle” followed by an introduction to spearfishing on one of Islamorada’s beautiful patch reefs.
Poseidon was looking out for us that day, because the conditions were amazing: 70 feet of visibility on the Eagle helped all six Marines log their deepest dive and eclipse the 100-feet mark. Our next dive was an introduction to spearfishing. After a brief lesson on the boat we descended to hopefully land some dinner. I demonstrated some skills and allowed them each to give it a try.
It was an amazing sight to see these boys, who have been through so much pain and who have life-altering injuries, to be getting so much enjoyment out of this activity. We ended up with just a few snapper and a couple of hogfish, but back on the boat, you would have thought we brought back record setting trophies. The high fives and “Ooh Rahs!” were plentiful on the ride back to the marina.
Talking to these young men that day made me realize something: their lives will never be normal ever again. They don’t walk like you and I with a prosthetic leg. They don’t sleep like you and I with a traumatic brain injury. They don’t talk like you and I with facial injuries. But that day while diving and hunting, they were just like you and I and they felt it.
“Hey guys, you’re in the Keys, what do you want to do?”
“DEEP WRECK DIVING AND SPEARFISHING!!!”
Operation Florida Keys...Success! Ooh Rah!
