On-Target Donation Helps a Veteran’s Recovery
There are as many paths wounded veterans can follow to recovery as there are wounded veterans. Operation Hat Trick found one veteran whose path led through the archery range.
The Connecticut-based veteran struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical injuries that left him with the use of only one arm. He was depressed and homebound before a local program, Northeast Passage (NEP), convinced him to try its archery program. Operation Hat Trick paid for a specially designed bow that made it possible.
The veteran was a sharpshooter when he was in the military and the archery program rekindled his interest in target shooting. NEP Archery Program Director Cathy Thompson improvised a bow and brace for his first time at the archery range. The veteran was so excited he immediately wanted to come back.
It was clear he needed a customized shoulder brace and bow, so Thompson contacted Next Step Bionic and Prosthetics in Manchester, N.H., for a design. Next Step donated the device, and Operation Hat Trick paid for the custom bow.
The former sharpshooter is now an avid participant in the archery program and no longer homebound.
