Wounded Veterans Take To Kayaks In Chicago River
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dozens of wounded veterans from the Midwest spent the day kayaking on the Chicago River Friday.
They're all part of the Wounded Warrior program, as WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports.
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The journey began on the dock of Kayak Chicago, at 1501 N. Magnolia Ave. where the North Branch of the Chicago River splits at Goose Island.
Veterans – some amputees, some with post-traumatic stress disorder, and some with traumatic brain injuries – got into kayaks.
Among them was James Dehan, who did a tour as a Marine in Iraq.
"I shattered my left foot and due to a lot of IED's, I received a traumatic brain injury and PTSD," Dehan said.
Getting back into the real world was hard, he says. Alone in a hole is how he describes it.
His wife, Erin, agrees.
"He wasn't the same person," she said.
But the Wounded Warrior Project changed everything, according to Dehan.
"But then, I had some vets reach into my hole and pull me out," Dehan said, "and here I am."
Rich Stieglitz says that's the very point.
"Our mission at the wounded warrior project is to honor and empower the wounded warriors," he said.
It's a lot more than taking wounded vets for a boat ride, but Friday was about recreation.
