A wounded warrior, his family and a group of military mentors camped at the Francis E. Walter Dam for five nights last week as part of the first camping trip organized by Hunts for Healing, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping wounded servicemembers.
The Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District helped host the Hunts for Healing group, which aims to heal physical and emotional wounds through outdoor recreation.
“We’re all about healing and being outdoors can make a tremendous difference,” said Mindy Picotti, co-founder of the organization. “It helps us get in touch with our spiritual side and enables servicemembers to focus their attention on fishing, hunting and other activities.”
Juan Rivera and his wife, Maria and three children, Justin, Oseas and John, arrived at the Francis. E. Walter Dam June 8. They camped in tents in the pavilion area adjacent to the F.E. Walter Maintenance Building and participated in numerous outdoor activities including fishing, white-water rafting, biking, and geocaching (scavenger hunts with GPS technology).
“We had a blast and did things we hadn’t done before,” said Rivera, who was wounded in 2004 in Iraq while deployed as a gunner with the 1st Infantry Division. His unit’s vehicle was traveling in a convoy and went off road, injuring his shoulder and back and placing him on bed rest.
Now, he works as a civilian at Fort Hamilton, NY and is in the Wounded Warrior program. He added having the opportunity to be with family and fellow servicemembers made the camping trip a positive experience.
Retired Master Sgt. Larry White organized the event with the help of Army Reservist Sgt. Rebekah Hasselman; Army Reservist Sgt. Michael Pirog and Mike Dreisch, a former Marine and veteran of the Gulf War.
“I retired, but this is one way for me to keep serving,” said White. “The best part about this program is being around other soldiers because we have a common understanding of each other’s experiences.”
The other mentors said they greatly benefitted from the experience.
“This is great for Wounded Warriors and their families,” said Sgt. Rebekah Hasselman. “But the mentors get a lot out of this too. Many of us have deployed and are dealing with our own issues as well.”
Hunts for Healing holds its events at the Ringneck Ridge Hunting Preserve and Lodge in Laceyville, Penn. where wounded warriors participate in hunts every year alongside military mentors. The camping trip marked the first event away from the facility, but Picotti hopes to make an annual tradition and have up to 6 families participate next year.
“The Army Corps of Engineers has been great,” she said. “They’ve done everything they can to support us.”
F.E. Walter Dam Operators Dave Williams, Josh Dinko and Brett Anderton learned about the organization through their contact with Pheasants Forever. They decided they could help accommodate a camping trip because of space in the pavilion area and the easy access to outdoor activities.
“We had quite a bit to offer them and groups like Whitewater Challenges had interested in supporting as well,” said Head Dam Operator Dave Williams. “Everything worked out well after two months of lining up the activities and scheduling all the events.”
The F.E. Walter team helped the group obtain temporary fishing licenses and worked with Whitewater Challengers and other local businesses that supported the activities.
For more information, visit http://www.huntsforhealing.org/
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