|
|
Wounded Warriors Come to OE in Guantanamo Bay!
|
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
By Jessie Keenan, Manager of Ocean Enterprises in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Click here to see our photo gallery of the entire weekend!
 What a weekend!! In all the years I have been here at Guantanamo Bay working with Ocean Enterprises, I have never had such a fulfilling experience! On Thursday night, Bill and I met the boat and greeted an old friend John Thompson, from SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled
Scuba) with hugs and excitement. Almost a year ago, John had contacted me here at Ocean Enterprises about this program and bringing down 6 Wounded Warriors from Walter Reed to do their check out dives. JTF immediately got involved and the ball started rolling. The program was
brand new at the time, and we hadn't had any experience with it before, so this was an exciting time for us. We knew ahead of time, that SUDS was using SCUBA for rehabilitation for soldiers who had become amputees from different explosions in the war, but nothing can prepare you for this. (Pictured left to right - John Thompson, Jessie Keenan, and Pat Duffy-Instructor)
 I watched these 6 soldiers get off the boat, doing almost everything for themselves. Not wanting or even needing help. I introduced myself to
each one and handed them a beer. That broke the ice right away! I met the staff from SUDS, the support staff from Disabled Sports USA, and the
Media from Bloomberg News. Everyone was tired from the day's travel, but excited to be in GTMO. After we all had dinner at the Jerk House, I presented them with wet suits that had been donated by Henderson. They were so thankful and surprised- and that was my first feeling of joy. The local GTMO teaching staff then had a meeting with the SUDS Scuba Instructors and Dive Masters. Only thinking that we were going to assist in SCUBA Instruction, but for every 2 Instructors, they got their own Warrior. And that's when the fun began! It was challenging, exciting and rewarding. The weekend was a well organized blur from that point on. (Pictured Above left to right - Shane Heath, Nicholas Paupore, Jordan Reese, Aaron Schoenfeld, Igor Macarov, Front - Josh Bleill.
 It seemed the whole base came together to help in some way or another. People donating their time and efforts for one cause- for a group of guys who turned out to be our best students ever! Each challenge with a student was just like any other.. and if you were nervous approaching them with any of these challenges, they immediately put you at ease. On Friday, we were invited to the Admiral's house for dinner and that's when we first started to get to know them. Josh, Aaron, Igor, Nicholas, Shane & Jordan. Each was wonderful and willing to share their story with you if you asked. They were all open about their injuries and their stories.
 On Saturday, I joined them for a little while on the boat for their last 2 checkout dives. I have never seen divers with disabilities that seemed like they didn't have any! There were 3 boats tied together for the divers and staff, over 25 people helping out, one fast boat at the ready for any possible issues and the Chief of the Navy Dive Locker, Joe Castilla on his jet ski at the ready as well. It was a finely tuned machine at this point. Each Instructor group with his/her student briefing their dive plan like I've see hundreds of times before. I hung out with each student for a little while asking them about their experiences and they were all so pleased and excited that they would be certified soon! I kept thinking I was in the way, and they just kept telling me they wanted me to be there and made me feel so comfortable.
 Ocean Enterprises sponsored a cookout for them at Windmill Beach that night, and it was their first night dive! They had such a blast, and then we all just hung out for hours and shared stories, laughs and a great time. They did 2 fun dives at Blue Beach on Sunday and 2 more dives at Blind Beach on Monday. This was definitely a learning experience for all, and again a blast! I think we'll do more boat dives when they come back or when the next group comes in, because that was a lot easier!
 
 Monday night they all met for dinner and C-Cards. What an awesome moment. John Thompson from SUDS along with all the Instructors visiting and the local ones who taught, got a chance to personally present their student with the shiny new Temp Card. The look of accomplishment for everyone involved became an emotional thing for me. We all enjoyed each other's company and had more fun than ever could be imagined, I couldn't believe how rewarding it was! The Open Water Divers had donated to them certifications from SDI, and the 2 Advanced Students were certified
PADI. We spent the rest of the night just being friends. They were willing to talk to any other
service member or local about their injuries and were so incredibly humble
about their service to their country. They made each person feel that
they would have done the same thing and should be rewarded for the job
they are doing now- it is no different than what they did. Wow. It was
awesome.
The night had to come to an end and I made plans to meet with them for
their ride to Leeward side at 6:30am to catch the plane. Somehow I ended
up on the boat because I didn't want to see them leave! The ride over
was sad, but full of contentment about their trip to GTMO. It was an amazing
experience for all of us involved and we can't wait for the next one!
Thanks to everyone who helped out and especially to our Wounded
Warriors- it was an experience I will never forget and I promise that
Ocean Enterprises will proudly be here waiting for your return!
-Jessie Keenan, Manager
Ocean Enterprises GTMO Bay, CUBA
Click here to see our photo gallery of the entire weekend!
|
|
Wounded Warriors GTMO