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> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> March 28, 2008

**World's Largest Disabled Veterans Ski Clinic**

**Launches this Weekend at Snowmass, Colo.**

> WASHINGTON -- The 22^nd^ National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports
> Clinic will open this Sunday at Snowmass Village, Colo. More than 400
> disabled veterans, including nearly 70 recently injured during
> Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) will
> ski the Rocky Mountains through Friday. This ski clinic for disabled
> veterans is the largest event of its kind.
>
> "We are extremely honored to not only welcome our recently injured
> veterans but to show them that recovering from traumatic injury is to
> confront challenges with confidence; to live life to its fullest,"
> said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Adaptive
> sports give veterans a sense of accomplishment and enable them to
> redefine their capabilities."
>
> The Clinic is an annual rehabilitation program open to U.S. military
> veterans with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries,
> orthopedic amputations, visual impairments, certain neurological
> problems and other disabilities who receive care at a Department of
> Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility or military treatment facility.
>
> For new veterans, the Clinic is usually the first time they can test
> their rehabilitation gains outside of the hospital environment in an
> activity that is both challenging and fun. An estimated 200 certified
> ski instructors for the disabled, and several current and former
> members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team serve as ski instructors to meet
> the unique needs of the participants.

**- More -**

> **Winter Sports Clinic 2/2/2/2**
>
> Army veteran, Shane Parsons, 22, who currently resides in San Antonio,
> Texas, is an example of the transformation that occurs on the
> mountain. Injured September 30, 2006 by a roadside bomb in Ramadi,
> Iraq, Parsons lost both his legs and suffered a head injury. After
> attending his first Clinic last year, he said, "It was absolutely
> awesome. This event helps us (newly injured veterans) get into the
> mentality of saying 'hey I can do this, and if I can do this, I can do
> other things for myself, too."
>
> Co-sponsored by VA and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the
> Clinic is a
>
> world leader in promoting rehabilitation by instructing veterans with
> disabilities in adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, and introducing
> them to a number of other adaptive recreational activities and sports.
> For many newly injured veterans, the Clinic offers them their first
> experiences in winter sports and gives them the inspiration for
> continued self development.
>
> At the six-day event, veterans will also learn rock climbing, scuba
> diving, snowmobiling, curling and sled hockey. The U.S. Secret Service
> will provide a course on self-defense. All activities are designed to
> help participants develop winter sports skills and take part in a
> variety of other adaptive sports and workshops, which demonstrate that
> having a physical or visual disability need not be an obstacle to an
> active, rewarding life.
>
> "As a disabled veteran and ski instructor at the Winter Sports Clinic,
> I can personally vouch for the amazing impact it has on the lives of
> our participants," said DAV National Commander Robert T. Reynolds.
> "Thanks to the wonderful partnership between the DAV and the
> Department of Veterans Affairs, these miracles will once again take
> place in the lives of many of our deserving wounded warriors."
>
> VA is a recognized leader in rehabilitative and recreational
> therapies. With 153 medical centers, VA operates more than 1,400 sites
> of care, including 895 ambulatory care and community-based outpatient
> clinics, 135 nursing homes, 47 residential rehabilitation treatment
> programs, 209 Vet Centers and 108 comprehensive home-care programs.
> The DAV is a non-profit, congressionally chartered veterans service
> organization with a membership of more than one million wartime
> disabled veterans.
>
> **\# \# \#**
>
> For further information, contact Jenny Tankersley Ballou, VA public
> affairs coordinator,
>
> Winter Sports Clinic, at (757) 728-3450; or Rob Lewis, DAV
> Communications, at (859) 442-2049. Or log on to the event's Web site
> at:
> [www.wintersportsclinic.va.gov](http://www.wintersportsclinic.va.gov/)