Holbrook, New York, February 22, 2012: Crossing North America by bicycle is an athletic feat remembered for a lifetime by those who accomplish the task. For disabled veterans who cross the continent with hand cycles and recumbent bicycles, the accomplishment is life changing.

In the summer of 2010, 16 wounded warriors rode with World T.E.A.M. Sports from San Francisco to Virginia Beach in the inaugural Sea to Shining Sea cross-country ride. This summer, World T.E.A.M. Sports is repeating the ride, and is seeking qualified disabled veterans who are ready for the challenge.

Sponsored in 2010 and again this year by State Farm, the Sea to Shining Sea ride departs San Francisco on May 28 and arrives in Virginia Beach two months and nearly 4,000 miles later. By the time the riders dip their wheels in the Atlantic Ocean, they will have passed through 14 states and gained and lost over 110,000 feet of elevation. They will have passed through desolate and beautiful deserts, mountains, plains and woodlands, hundreds of communities both large and small, and met thousands of Americans from all walks of life. It is an experience that honors the veterans’ commitment to their country and recognizes their many sacrifices.

Through March 9, World T.E.A.M. Sports is accepting applications from interested candidates for participation in the 2012 ride. There is a limit of 18 wounded warriors who will make the cross-continent journey, so only a few will be selected. Participants will need to make a commitment to the full two month ride, and be physically able to travel up to 100 miles per day by bicycle, hand cycle or recumbent. Through the generous sponsorship of partner organizations, supporting corporations and communities across the country, food and lodging will be covered throughout the journey, as will air transportation to the start in San Francisco and the return home from Virginia Beach.

Interested wounded warriors should send a brief letter of interest by email message to World T.E.A.M. Sports. A full application will be provided to interested candidates. This application must be fully completed and returned no later than March 9. Selected applicants will be notified by email.

The Sea to Shining Sea ride from May 28 to July 28 is one of World T.E.A.M. Sports’ premiere athletic events. For more than 20 years, World T.E.A.M. Sports has used athletics to challenge disabled and non-disabled men, women and children to accomplish goals they never thought possible. At all our events – whether mountain climbing, biking, white water rafting or many other sports – four things always happen: (1) Disabled participants build self confidence and physical fitness; (2) The disabled provide a role model for other disabled citizens, encouraging them to take up athletic activities; (3) The disabled provide a moving inspiration to other participants and to spectators when they see disabled individuals can reach goals and meet challenges beyond anyone’s imagination; (4) The disabled and non-disabled participants become a team, working together to overcome those challenges. World T.E.A.M. Sports changes lives.

Morning riding during the 2010 Sea to Shining Sea ride. Photograph copyright 2010 Van Brinson.

The Boulder Theater hosted the premiere of High Ground to a capacity audience. Photograph by Richard Rhinehart.

Boulder, Colorado, February 20, 2012 – At the February 18 Boulder International Film Festival premiere of “High Ground,” the capacity audience showed their appreciation of the moving and emotional documentary. Following the screening, the audience stood and applauded filmmaker Michael Brown and the wounded warriors who participated in World T.E.A.M. Sports’ October 2010 Soldiers to the Summit climb of 20,075-foot Lobuche East.

Winner of the 36-film Festival’s Audience Favorite Award and the “Call to Action” Award, “High Ground” played to a sold-out Boulder Theater, the distinctive 975-seat art deco theater in downtown Boulder, Colorado. Lines began to form well in advance of the screening, and wrapped around the block in the chilly Colorado sunshine.

Following the conclusion of the 90-minute film, Brown and seven attending wounded warriors from the expedition – Katherine Ragazzino, Ashley Crandall, Chad Butrick, Chad Jukes, Steve Baskis, Cody Miranda and Nicolette Maroulis – were honored by the audience with an enthusiastic ovation and with a public question and answer session that lasted beyond the festival’s allotted time.

The result of a collaborative partnership between World T.E.A.M. Sports, the climbing team that led blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer to Mount Everest’s summit in 2001, and Brown’s Serac Adventure Films, the documentary shows that disabilities both physical and mental can be overcome through determination and teamwork. Ascending to the summit of the high alpine peak near Everest, the disabled veterans discovered that the camaraderie of outdoor sporting activities can begin to replicate the close personal relationships they appreciated in the military.

For many of the 11-member team of wounded warriors, their departure from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan owing to disabilities they sustained meant a radical change in lifestyle. Returning home, they struggled with accepting and moving beyond the intense memories of their service, learning to live again in an American society that seemed almost foreign.

As chronicled by Brown and his Outside Adventure Film School team, the warriors discovered that America can be supportive, but not completely understanding of the complex issues they face following their war experience. For Maroulis, her participation in the Soldiers to the Summit climb helped her regain an identity beyond being the “Navy girl in the wheelchair.” Crandall, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, found she can rise above cruel comments posted to websites reporting her story to effectively manage her conflicting emotions.

The line for the High Ground premiere stretched around the block. Photograph by Richard Rhinehart.

Baskis, blinded in a massive May 2008 roadside bomb blast in Baghdad, finds happiness in true love during his recovery, yet struggles with being able to only touch his wife and not see her. During his journey in Nepal, he appreciates the dramatic Himalayan scenery through descriptions by his colleagues and the innovative practice of pointing and having his arm moved to illustrate spatially the height of the surrounding mountains.

Following Colorado training expeditions in the spring and summer of 2010, the team travels to Nepal in October, where they begin the several day hike to Lobuche East. Trekking along ancient trails that carry commerce to and from secluded mountain villages and monasteries, the team joins together in resolving challenges and assisting each other as they cross streams and rivers, ascend switchbacks and gain altitude. Following a blessing at a peaceful Buddhist Monastery, the team ascends into the high glacial valleys with cloud-shrouded summits that hold the Everest Base Camp. Acclimation helps the team with the thin alpine air before the summit team begins their climb in the dark of night. Leaving camp after an impromptu, emotional meeting with colleagues who decide to not undertake the difficult climb, the soldiers scramble over steep rock outcroppings before reaching a ridge of snow and ice. It is this ridge that leads to the summit; a slow, exposed ascent that challenges every veteran and brings into focus what it means to be alive.

Featuring outstanding cinematography and a pleasing original score by composer Chris Bacon, “High Ground” is not a typical mountaineering film. It is a celebration of the ability of man to work together through cooperation to resolve challenges and reach a common goal. Like all World T.E.A.M. Sports events, the Soldiers to the Summit climb provided an opportunity for these wounded warriors to move beyond their shared war experience to understand they can participate and excel in outdoor activities. Brown and his Outside Adventure Film School’s team documentation of this beautiful and often dramatic climb allow the audience to fully share in this journey of discovery.

Stone Circle Pictures and Serac Adventure Films report “High Ground” will now travel to other film festivals nationally, and may have a limited theatrical release in selected markets. For the expedition partners, each is moving to new challenges and opportunities – World T.E.A.M. Sports is hosting a late February Soldiers to the Summit winter event in Snowbird with a new group of veterans. No Barriers USA is hosting a climb of a high Ecuadorian peak in December 2012 for another team of wounded warriors. For the soldiers of the 2010 expedition, they will build upon their shared experience in reaching Lobuche East’s snowy summit and learning they are not defined by war, but by who they are as individuals. Their confidence in success will help change the lives of many.

Erik Weihenmayer approaches the summit of Lobuche East, 2010. Photograph copyright 2010 Didrik Johnck, Johnck Media.

“From the start, we hoped this expedition would be helpful for the injured military who participated; for others who might see this accomplishment as a positive example of TEAM work; and to bring awareness to the public of the plight and capabilities of our returning injured military,” said former World T.E.A.M. Sports President and CEO Jeff Messner. The Castle Rock, Colorado resident created the Soldiers to the Summit expedition with Boulder Everest climber Jeff Evans, Golden blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer and filmmaker Michael Brown to complement other World T.E.A.M. Sports events, such as the Sea to Shining Sea cross-country bicycle ride for wounded warriors and the climbs of Africa’s Kilimanjaro.

“Thanks to Erik, Jeff and all the Everest team, we were well prepared and fortunately not surprised with any adverse situations,” noted Messner of the expedition. “Although, even with a year planning and anticipation (and worry); the expedition, the TEAM members, the Himal may have surprised me by greatly exceeding my very high hopes.”

Among the wounded warriors who made the journey to Nepal was Nicolette Maroulis, a Navy K9 handler who enlisted following the September 2001 attacks. A participant of World T.E.A.M. Sports’ 2010 Sea to Shining Sea ride, Maroulis was severely wounded in 2003. A wheelchair user as a result of her injuries, the Hawaiian native was told by doctors she may never walk again. Yet, the cross-country ride, in which she transitioned from a hand cycle to a standard road bicycle, and the physically demanding climb of 20,075 foot Lobuche East in the Himalayan Mountains greatly helped to increase her strength.

“These events allowed me to view myself as whole,” said Maroulis. “My injuries no longer define me but the moments in my life where I pushed through my comfort zone and was once again able to triumph.”

Maroulis recalled her participation in the expedition fondly. “It was an amazing opportunity. There are so many times that people try to protect us (injured, disabled). It is wonderful to have the opportunity to prove myself … to myself.”

For Messner and many participants of the Soldiers to the Summit climb, visiting Nepal was an experience of a lifetime. “The Himal is beautiful, staggering, inspiring and is screaming for us to return!” he said.

Aaron "Ike" Isaacson and Steve Baskis on the journey to Lobuche, October, 2010. Photograph copyright 2010, Didrik Johnck, Johnck Media.

More than 15 months following the team’s return to the United States, Messner recalled two moments that defined the expedition. “We reached Dogla at the base of Lobuche after seven days of climbing, where the climbing groups separated,” Messner recalled. “After coming so far, the feeling of accomplishment and anticipation of the Lobuche climbers was overwhelming. The parting hugs, smiles and best wishes were joyful life memories.” Following the ascent of Lobuche, Messner recalled his and his team’s happiness. “When the group reunited in Pheriche three and one-half days later, after the successful summit, the reuniting was fantastic. The elation relating to a successful and safe summit was a great sense of accomplishment. All the hugs and smiles were even more robust and loving.”

“There were many moments that stood out,” said Maroulis of her expedition experience. “The summit, finally getting off the mountain … but the Nepalese people had a huge impact on me. I was able to help paint some prayer wheels and some of the prayer boulders along the route. I hung out with some of the monks and learned how to paint a Buddhist Thangka painting.”

Maroulis said her only disappointment from the expedition was “not taking the time to fully enjoy the summit,” including taking more photographs. “I am always looking for the next adventure,” she said. “I hope to participate in future mountain climbs by helping more veterans make it to the summit. I am still looking for the next big thing, the next way to push myself.”

“We knew this was going to be a difficult expedition in a very stressful environment,” recalled Messner. “I couldn’t be happier to report the only significant feeling of disappointment was during the five day descent, when I realized our expedition was coming to an end.”

With the release of the “High Ground” feature documentary from Stone Circle Pictures and Serac Adventure Films, the successful wounded warriors leave a legacy for future climbing expeditions with the disabled.

“It is the coming together of great people that make World T.E.A.M. Sports events so successful,” said Messner. “We are fortunate to have equally great people involved with every WTS event. In that regard, it is the community of World T.E.A.M. Sports family that is the greatest achievement.”

Cincinnati, Ohio native Nicholas Robert Allen likes to live life to its fullest. As a teenager, he “went on road trips all over the country. I have been to almost every state, been to a few different countries and lived in Germany for about four years.”

“I enjoy the Liberty and Freedom to be able to travel from state to state, unlike many other people in this world,” he said. “To embrace the people who fought with me, for me, and are fighting to help me now and to help me claim a life within my altered means.”

Married for ten years to his high school sweetheart, with two young children, Allen believes he was meant to serve in the military. “It was just what I was born to do,” he said. “Not being in the military kills me.”

Joining the Army, Allen was stationed in Vilseck, Germany from 2001 through 2005. “I was hit in the head with a .50 cal barrel during a training exercise in 2001 that caused a moderate concussion,” he recalled. Later that year, he sustained a minor blast injury when he was too close to a tank when it fired.

“In July 2003 in Regensberg, Germany, I was attacked from behind and knocked off a bridge. I fell approximately 40 feet,” he reports. “I suffered many injuries, including fracturing multiple vertebrae in my neck and back, fracturing my wrist and eye socket and sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury. I was in a German hospital for one week then was sent back my post to receive further care. Approximately six months later, I was deployed to Iraq, although I did not have any therapy before I left. You can imagine what falling 40 feet would do to your body. Then, suffering through another day in Iraq, while unloading a truck full of ammo crates, the soldier in the truck above me handing down the crates dropped a full ammo crate on my back and down I went.”

Nicholas Allen during his tour in Iraq. Above portrait and this image courtesy Nicholas Allen.

“After that, I was picked among others to assault a city south of us called Najaf. After the blunder that had us awake for 30 hours, we convoyed to Najaf. It took about 16 to 18 hours. I made it about two or three days until I woke up and I could not move my legs. They dragged me to the medics who had finally arrived and when the Doctor looked at my back, she almost fell over. When I leaned a bit forward, it looked like a golf ball was trying to come out of my spine. I was evacuated and eventually medically discharged from the Army in 2005.”

Suffering from PTSD, TBI, chronic pain in his lower back, neck, knees and most major joints; headaches; IBS; arthritis; light sensitivity; and auditory processing disorder, Allen now “spends three days a week going to VA appointments and two days watching my youngest daughter and fixing things around the house.”

Allen is looking forward to his participation in World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ Soldiers to the Summit at Snowbird event in late February 2012. “I have not done much on my own except some hunting when I was young,” he reported. “I have been to the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic twice. It is in San Diego and I did a bunch of stuff there. Biking, kayaking, surfing, Track and Field, and sailing.”

“I hope that this will bring me closer to trusting people, trying new things, having faith in others that they will do what they say they will, relieve some stress, make some new positive memories to help move out some of the negative,” Allen said of the event. “I appreciate the opportunity to come on this trip and look forward the new experiences.”

William “Brad” Beard is a veteran of both the US Marine Corps, for which he served from 1996 to 2000, and of the US Army, for which he served from 2000 through 2009. Married to his wife Jennifer, with a son, daughter and two dogs, the Vicksburg, Mississippi resident enjoys “anything outdoors,” including hunting and fishing. He also enjoys “hanging out with family and friends.”

On March 20, 2008, Beard was severely injured when his Humvee was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. “I lost both index fingers,” Beard reports. The resulting explosion also brought additional trauma, including loss of “part of my left thumb, blew out my right ear drum, hole in right retina, shrapnel all over upper body, and loss of my right forearm muscle.”

Despite his injuries, Beard maintains a good attitude. “19 surgeries later this is as good as it is going to be,” he said. As a participant in World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ February 2012 Soldiers to the Summit at Snowbird event in Utah, he will have the opportunity to further enjoy the outdoors.


Above image of William “Brad” Beard and his wife Jennifer at a friend’s birthday party courtesy William Beard.

Filmmaker Michael Brown ascending Lobuche during the 2010 Soldiers to the Summit Nepal Expedition. Photograph © 2010 Didrik Johnck, Johnck Media.

Boulder, Colorado, February 9, 2012 – In October, 2010, a team of 11 wounded warriors successfully climbed 20,075 foot Lobuche East, an ice and snow covered peak near Mount Everest in Nepal. The feature documentary chronicling the World T.E.A.M. Sports’ Soldiers to the Summit expedition, High Ground, will premiere February 18 as an official selection in the prestigious Boulder International Film Festival.

The 5:00 p.m. premiere showing of High Ground, in the historic downtown Boulder Theater, will bring to Boulder several expedition participants, supporters and sponsors. Tickets for this premiere are now on sale.

From Stone Circle Pictures and Serac Adventure Films, the documentary was directed by award-winning Boulder filmmaker Michael Brown, who accompanied the team on their ambitious expedition. Disney Producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King, Frankenweenie) produced the film, which features a score by composer Chris Bacon (Source Code, Space Chimps, Gnomeo and Juliet). With a production budget of $475,000, the film includes stunning footage of Nepal’s Himalayan Mountains and the team’s inspirational journey to the summit of Lobuche East. The participating soldiers also were interviewed by Brown and his film team following the expedition, providing insight on how the expedition changed their lives.

Following the film’s premiere at the Boulder International Film Festival, Serac Adventure Films reports it will be shown at selected film festivals and in limited theatrical release. Later this year, High Ground will be released commercially on DVD. The official High Ground website provides additional information about the film.

Created and directed by Boulder mountaineer Jeff Evans, Golden blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, filmmaker Michael Brown, and 2010 World T.E.A.M. Sports President Jeff Messner, the Soldiers to the Summit expedition to Nepal provided 11 wounded warriors the unique opportunity to overcome personal challenges and join together as a team with knowledgeable Everest climbers. Like all World T.E.A.M. Sports events, the expedition changed the lives of all who participated, and brought national awareness to the exceptional capabilities of persons with disabilities.

World T.E.A.M. Sports is a national non-profit organization that creates and manages inclusive sporting events for disabled and able-bodied participants. The organization’s Soldiers to the Summit series includes an expedition this February 27-March 1 to Snowbird, Utah, providing 15 wounded warriors the opportunity to experience snow sports such as skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Snowbird Resort, Wasatch Adaptive Sports and American Airlines are partners for this expedition. Future expeditions are planned.

Team photo on the summit of Lobuche. 2010 Soldiers to the Summit Nepal Expedition. Photograph © 2010 Didrik Johnck, Johnck Media.

Players compete during the 2012 Celtics Experience in Boston's TD Garden. Photograph by Kimberly Warpinski.

Boston, Massachusetts, February 7, 2012 – Boston’s fabled TD Garden hosted two basketball games on February 5. In one contest, the Boston Celtics easily beat the Memphis Grizzlies 98-80. In the second contest, no score was kept, but the participating youth had the experience of a lifetime.

For the fifth year, the Celtics Experience offered young disabled and able-bodied children the unique opportunity to play together in a game on the Garden’s fabled parquet floor. Created by the non-profit Ultimate Sports Program, the halftime game was sponsored this year by the Boston Celtics and by World T.E.A.M. Sports.

“Our program is very grateful for the support from World T.E.A.M. Sports,” said Steven Berube, the President of Ultimate Sports Program. About 30 children from Massachusetts participated in the event, which included tickets to the Celtics game, the halftime on-court game, and an opportunity to participate in a “fan tunnel” welcoming the Celtics back onto court following halftime.

An 11-year-old USP member with Emanuel Syndrome, Madison, was selected to throw out the ball for the tip-off of the inclusive halftime game. “She was very nervous but once on the floor, she was heaven,” reports Berube. “Willie May from the Celtics, who announced our game to the Garden crowd, helped Madison onto center court and spoke very highly about USP’s ability to take kids with special needs like Madison and simply let them experience sports and make friends.”

Players on the bench at the 2012 Celtics Challenge. Photograph by Kimberly Warpinski.

The play during the contest was much more supportive than during the professional game. “Mary Andrews won a game ball for a very cool reaction during the game,” said Berube. “A little girl with autism on the opposing team struggled with a pass and it ended up in Mary’s hands. Instead of heading up court to take a shot, Mary simply stepped over and placed the ball in the little girl’s hands. She got a huge hand from the Garden Crowd.” Berube noted that Andrews “is a gifted student and athlete who loved the reason she got the ball as much as receiving the actual ball.”

Another USP member, Nick Vanderwood, sang the National Anthem for the game. He “gave the Garden crowd chills,” recalled Berube. “Everyone we met the rest of the day would pull him aside to tell him how great he did. Many saying, it was the best National Anthem they have ever heard!”

World T.E.A.M. Sports provided participants with jerseys and sports bags containing wristbands and water bottles. Kimberly Warpinski, World T.E.A.M. Sports’ event coordinator, attended the Celtics Experience and assisted with the planning and coordination. “The kids were all smiles playing at halftime and welcoming the players back out onto the court with a fan tunnel,” she said.

The Celtics also provided shirts and three signed balls for participants, and for USP members who did not make it into the game.

Ultimate Sports Program is a part of the Association for Community Living in Massachusetts. Open to all youth, the program provides free sports programs and is dedicated to creating opportunities, improving lives and building relationships. World T.E.A.M. Sports has sponsored events with USP in recent years in creating inclusive sports events for disabled and able-bodied participants. Future collaborations are anticipated.

Participants of the 2012 Celtics Experience stand for a group image. Photograph by Kimberly Warpinski.

It is fair to call Victor Montiel a patriot. Spending six and one-half years in the service of the United States, Montiel left his family and employment to serve his adopted country as a Marine.

Born in Mexico City, Montiel moved to the United States as a child. “I grew up with a strong understanding of the importance in loving my country, which to me, was the one I grew up in,” Montiel explained. “Since a young boy, I knew that I would be part of the service due to the nature of those thoughts.”

Enlisting in 1994, Montiel was stationed at Camp Pendleton in southern California. Ten days following his assignment, his first child was born. “I believed in the sacrifice I was making to leave my family because I knew that my family would be well cared for and I wanted to pursue the vision of patriotism. I knew that my country could offer my family and myself a new beginning and I could offer the military a new patriot for their mission of safety for this country.”

Sent to Iraq in 2003, Montiel sustained an injury. “I was injured by an IED blast to the torso and face,” he explains. “I was diagnosed with TBI and lost peripheral vision in my right eye.”

Despite his injury, the El Monte, California resident maintains his positive attitude. “I still maintain my love for sports and ways in staying active,” Montiel said. “I do this by playing basketball on the weekends and running.”

Participating in World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ February 2012 Soldiers to the Summit at Snowbird winter sports event, he has strong advice for other wounded warriors. “Stay strong through adversity, because it will make us stronger through personal motivation and motivation through the Core. To participate with fellow Core members who have gone through adversity and are able to persevere in Sports would be an honor.”

Portrait image photograph courtesy Victor Montiel.

“I was a Security Force Member in the Air Force,” Chaney reports, “But then I retrained into be a Fire Truck Mechanic since I wanted to make a career out of the Air Force. Being a cop for 20 years in the Air Force on shift work wasn’t that great and I like to fix things, so I did the retrain.”

Chaney is someone who believes in military service. “I joined the military to serve my country before 9/11 because in my mind it was the thing everyone should do to give back to our country that has given us so much!”

The Pullman, Washington native recalls that in 2005, he was deployed to Balad AFB in Iraq. “I was lucky enough to have stumbled away from a mortar attack concussion that fell short of a barrier that I was on the other side of, but I sustained TBI and smoke and dust inhalation. I’m luckier than others.” His injuries include PTSD and bad joint pain. In addition, Chaney suffers from asthma.

Living in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Chaney is active in outdoor sports. “I live the outdoors,” he said. “Hunting is still one of my greatest things in life to do. I also love to ride my motorcycle with all my Veteran Brothers in the Combat Vet Riders Motor Cycle Club and helping out other Vets when I can. I compete in National 4 position small bore rifle shooting with the team here in Bonners Ferry.” In addition, Chaney spends time with his wife and three children on family outings.

Among his outdoor sports are mountain biking, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, rappelling, whitewater rafting, body boarding, dirt biking, backpacking, paint ball, golf, and man tracking.

As one of the wounded warriors participating in World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ February, 2012 Soldiers to the Summit at Snowbird winter sports event, Chaney is excited. “This is a once in a life time chance for me to be able to hopefully regain some of my former self along with my little brother – just like when we were innocent and whole!”


Portrait image courtesy Tom Chaney.

The Renton, Washington native joined the Oregon Army National Guard in January, 2000 and moved on to the Hawaii Army National Guard and California Army National Guard in 2001. In November, 2002, Litch was assigned to the Crisis Action Team at the Army Operations Center at the Pentagon, where she served until January, 2007. From the Pentagon, her career brought her to CENTCOM at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, where she served until July 2007.

Following her time with CENTCOM, Litch accepted a new assignment in April, 2008. “I was deployed to Afghanistan with the U.S. Army 101st Airborne and assigned to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) – NATO Headquarters in Kabul,” she reports. “My up-armored SUV was struck by the explosion from a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBID) while on a convoy security mission outside Kabul. The mission was to provide security for several Romanian soldiers who needed to get from ISAF HQ to Camp Warehouse to pick up one of their VIP’s and take them to Kabul International Airport. A young suicide bomber detonated his car bomb at close range as he attempted to ram our vehicle; we took evasive action and I fired my weapon at the driver. I bounced around the inside of the vehicle like some sort of pinball in a giant machine as the explosion rocked our vehicle.”

Paula Litch on horseback at the Burnin' Daylight Stables in Salem, Oregon. Photograph by Nicole Plumley. Above portrait image of Paula Litch and a refugee in Kabul Afghanistan; courtesy Paula Litch.

As a result of the explosion, Litch suffered several injuries. These include surgical repair of her left knee, traumatic brain injury with short term memory and vertigo issues, right elbow bone fragment, right foot nerve damage, PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss. She reports she walks assisted with crutches.

Litch has been highly honored for her service to her country. She received the NATO Medal, Afghanistan Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Joint Services Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M device, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Oregon Commendation Medal, and California Commendation Medal.

A current resident of Issaquah, Washington, Litch remains active in outdoor activities, including rock climbing, sailing, skiing, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, horseback riding, hiking, and photography.

“I want to show my daughters Nicole and Kelsey that you never give up in life no matter what happens,” Litch said of her participation in World T.E.A.M. Sports‘ Soldiers to the Summit at Snowbird in February, 2012. “Even though I am nervous on how hard this skiing event will be, I am so excited to get my life started again physically and enjoy a sport again that I thought would be forever lost to me due to my injuries.”