December 2009 - Parks & Recreation - 38

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army / Phil Sussman

" Wounded
warriors " group
playing sit
volleyball at
Soldiers Field
House, Ft. Lewis.

36 Parks & Recreation

the war, " said Fred Clark, Athletic Coordinator of
Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation.
" We realize that these servicemen and women
might have some unique needs, and we have to
find the best way to help them. "
In early 2009, the Ft. Bragg WTU leaders, in
partnership with Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks
and Recreation implemented a 12-week ongoing program for the local Warriors in Transition.
Named by one of the soldiers in the program, the
Warrior Activity, Recreation and Sports (WARS),
has given more than 225 service members a new
opportunity to become active again in their dayto-day life.
" When developing ongoing programs for the
WTU soldiers it is important to use all resources
available, whether it is found on or off base, " said
Neppl. " With Ft. Bragg and Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation having thew pursuit of
common goals, it made for an obvious partnership, " Neppl says.
While activities such as aquatics, kayaking,
spin, strength and conditioning, and using Wii
typically take place directly on base, the use of
walking paths, nature activities, lawn games, and
tennis are conducted at Fayetteville-Cumberland
County facilities two days a week. Additionally,
the recreation department has staged several recreation or sport specific activities and events.
" We have had enough participants who showed
an interest in tennis that we were able to set up a
tennis tournament for them and hand out plaques
to the winning service members, " says Theresa
Shields, Occupational Therapist, Ft. Bragg Moral
Welfare and Recreation.
The importance of getting injured service members off of the base for some activities plays a critical role of reintegrating them into a community.
" While on base, their days are filled with medical appointments, meetings and physical therapy;
when they get the opportunity to be involved with

DECEMBER 2009

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programs off base, it gives them a chance to get
away from the installation and gain a new, different perspective on life, " said Shields.
Furthermore, it's important to acclimate a service member to the benefits and services they can
utilize in their community since there's the chance
they might be medically discharged and will have
to adapt to a life outside of the base. When they
go to the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation, they get an idea of the services, facilities,
and numerous benefits that will be available to
them following active duty.
Another key component that Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation is incorporating into
the service member's recovery is family. The Warrior Activity, Recreation, and Sports (WARS) Program held an event, Summer WARS, where the
service members were able to bring their loved
ones along with them.
" We had husbands, wives, children, grandparents, and even pets at the event helping and encouraging every step of the way, " Shields says.
" Having the special people in the service members lives there and doing the same activities
played a huge role in their morale. "
In most cases, the number of participants
would tell the story of whether or not the program
has been a success. But in the case of injured service members, success is based off of more then
just numbers.
" Success for us is not only measured by the
number participants we have at the on-going programs, but if we are able to decrease the rehabilitation time, either mentally or physically, for
the service member(s), " Neppl says. " If the soldier feels he or she can return to their normal lifestyle, improve at their employment, or can pursue
higher goals, then we have accomplished what we
set out to do. "
To learn more about the USOC Paralympic Military Program, visit www.usparalwympics.org. 

December 2009 - Parks & Recreation

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