Walter Reed National Military Medical Center -
It was a time for giving back.
After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, the US Military stepped in, saving thousands of lives. The Haitians remembered.
Part of the rehabilitation many Haitians experienced was learning the American developed game of amputee soccer. Again, they remembered.
So to honor wounded American service men Haiti's Team Taryen (Tarantula) and the US National Amputee Soccer team joined to present them with the amputee version of the world sport.
Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Project Medishare, the two amputee soccer teams conducted three days of clinics for the amputee veterans, teaching them how to run, kick and pass on crutches.
To give them an idea of how fast, tough and competitive this version of soccer is, Team USA and Team Taryen played a match outside Washington's RFK Stadium, sponsored by DC United, Major League Soccer. See the video footage below.
Then, as icing on the cake, Vets, Taryen and USA were mixed together for a friendly scrimmage. The wounded warriors were very quick learners, scoring quite a few gaols.
1Lt. Cameron Kerr summed up ther veterans appreciation for the event with one simple statement. "We can't believe you guys came all this way to teach us how to kick a ball on sticks."
We'll be back Lieutenant.
American Amputee Soccer is making plans to take its training clinics to other military, Children's and Veterans Administration hospitals in near future.
For more information on Amputee soccer go to AmpSoccer.org and Team USA 2011
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