Adapted scuba diving for disabled veterans
Thanks to a program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, disabled soldiers are
learning to scuba dive and explore the wonders of our undersea world. Known as
"SUDS" (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba), the innovative training and
certification program is helping wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan to
experience life from below sea level.
"It's the most rewarding project I have ever been involved in," says John W. Thompson, president of the SUDS board of directors. He's a certified diving instructor who sees the ocean as a great equalizer.
"Many things are just easier to do in the water with these types of injuries," he says. To prepare himself for the task of teaching severely wounded soldiers how to dive, Thompson enrolled in a training program in Florida offered by the Handicapped Scuba Association.
Thompson describes SUDS, which launched in February 2007, as "part rehabilitation, part confidence-building (and) part adventure for these wounded warriors. I'm really inspired by the soldiers at Walter Reed."
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