Photo courtesy of Ken Watson

            Old-timers and newcomers mixed comfortably at the 3rd Annual Adaptive Water Sports Festival held in Rockaway Point, Queens, New York, from July 12-15.
            This year, the Rockaway community hosted 42 Wounded Warriors and 32 family members at the four-day event, which included water skiing, scuba diving, sailing and fishing.
            Also attending were six service members from the United Kingdom and the British Limbless Ex-Service Members Association (BLESMA).
            The weekend kicked off with the Heroes in the Harbor Voyage, a dinner cruise on the luxury yacht Atlantis. This year, the cruise was held in memory of Lance Cpl. Michael D. Glover, USMC, killed in combat on Aug. 16, 2006.
            “The dinner cruise was very special,” said  Ret. 1st Lt. Ed Salau. “A lot of guys had never seen the Statue of Liberty, and to cruise around it with a fire boat escort was very moving.”
            Salau and his son, Ethan, 14, went sailing and scuba diving.
            “My son had a great time. That’s one of the reasons we love the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project,” he said. “It’s a family event. It shows us there are real things to do with our family again.”
            Salau, a three-time participant, doesn’t see himself as a mentor, but offers encouragement to newcomers that they can do it, too.
           “I know the new guys had questions about their own abilities. I was down at the dock seeing them get ready to water ski. It’s great to see them return to the dock with a smile on their face that they could do it.
            Once again, the families of Rockaway opened their doors to host the veterans and their families.
            “The community interaction is great,” Salau said. “The host families that had a Wounded Warrior the previous year, always want them back again. You think there won’t be enough families to go around, but through their newsletters, and networking, more host families come out of the woodwork. It’s really cool.”
            The annual event is presented by DS/USA, the Wounded Warrior Project, Graybeards, Fire Department of New York (FDNY), HUB Financial Charities U.S.A., Atlantis Mega Yacht and DEMA Scuba Tour.

            A group of soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center participated in the CSC Invitational in Arlington, Va., June 2. CSC is the premier professional cycling race in the Washington, D.C., area.
            This year for the first time, the CSC Invitational included the Handcycling Criterium Championship race, as well as the Veterans and Citizens Handcycle Open for amateur cyclists.
            The Criterium Championship drew elite handcyclists from all over the world, including Paralympic athletes and Paralyzed Veteran members Seth Arseneau of Albuquerque, and Oscar Sanchez of San Diego.
            Arseneau and Sanchez made for an exciting and close finish with Arseneau just beating out Sanchez for top spot.