(Story courtesy of Colorado College)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Athletes are often
viewed as heroes after they make a key defensive play or score the
deciding goal at the end of a game. But on May 11, members of the
Colorado College men's basketball team had an opportunity to
compete against a group of veterans who are real heroes in every
sense of the word.
The Tigers spent the afternoon playing paintball with and against
a group of veterans from the Army, Marines and Air Force who
suffered combat injuries while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For junior forward James Lonergan, who worked with Susan Holmes of
Operation TBI (traumatic brain injury) Freedom to set up the
activity, it was an opportunity to interact with men who were much
different than those he sees on a daily basis.
"Obviously, a basketball team and a bunch of war veterans are
about as different as you can get," Lonergan said. "But we had the
opportunity to talk with them, hang out with them and get to know
them. It wasn't about what had happened in the past, it was about
what was going on that day."
The basketball players each were paired with a veteran and then
everyone was split into two competing teams at the indoor facility
that featured low lighting and inflatable obstacles. The veterans
did what they could to help the players stay alive, but more often
than not, it was the Tigers who were splattered with paint at the
end of the games.
It's not like the basketball players didn't know what they were
getting themselves into. When the idea was first conceived during a
team function at Holmes's residence, she made sure the Tigers
knew what they were getting themselves into.
"I asked them how they would feel about playing paintball with
some of our veterans and every single one of them thought that
would be awesome," she said. "Then I said, 'You realize you would
be playing with snipers and other highly trained people.'"
With the basketball team on board, the next step was for Holmes to
select the veterans who would be able to participate.
Unfortunately, not all veterans involved in the program are ready
for events like this.
Operation TBI Freedom, which was created in 2008 as part of Rocky
Mountain Human Services, has assisted service men and women
returning from the Middle East with traumatic brain injuries since
the conflicts began in 2001.
"We offer non-clinical case management for veterans, active duty
soldiers and their families," Holmes said. "Anyone who has served
one day on or after Sept. 11, 2001, who has a medically diagnosed
TBI is eligible to be in our program. It could be a mild to severe
case, or they could be hospitalized or be in rehab.
"We will never turn a veteran away. If a soldier comes to our door
and does not meet our criteria, we take them to a program that can
help them."
The program, which lasts an average of two years and costs about
$3,500 per client, helps wounded veterans with everything that is
going on in their lives, including medical, education, and
employment. A lot of veterans are ready for a job, including those
working at Operation TBI Freedom.
"We're a nonprofit organization and the guys who work for me
deserve so much more money than I can pay them," said Holmes, whose
husband suffered a mild TBI during his 21-year career in the Army.
"All of my staff are veterans, which is really cool because I get
to walk amongst heroes every day."
Lonergan's teammate, SGT Jason Lederer, served one tour in Iraq as
a cavalry scout in the Army.
"Jason taught me things like 'cover me,' 'hold the position,'
and some other things I had never heard of," Lonergan said. "But as
soon as we started, I forgot everything he had told me."
Lederer enjoyed the experience and said his CC teammate did
actually hit something.
"I don't open up easily, but James kept asking me questions,"
Lederer said. "I showed him what to do and he hit his target a
couple of times. All of the veterans had a good time and would like
to do it again."
Near the end of the event, there was one game with the
basketball players taking on the veterans.
"That game lasted about two minutes," Lonergan said. "I remember
pulling the trigger and hoping by some miracle it hit somebody. The
basketball players did not hit any of the veterans and we all got
hit.
"In basketball terms, we were playing a zone defense and everyone
was getting dunked on at the same time."
While basketball players make sacrifices to play the sport they
love, those sacrifices pale in comparison to what the veterans have
been through.
"It was a real reality check for the CC guys playing with veterans
who went to war," said Holmes. "The veterans sign on the bottom
line because they are going protect our rights and freedoms,
including the CC guys' ability to play basketball. The CC guys
understood the sacrifice and they were so respectful. They were
amazing."
Jason, who enjoys most sports, is looking forward to watching his
paintball partner compete on the basketball court.
"I like baseball, football and basketball," Lederer said. "I would
like to stay in touch with James and come to watch a basketball
game."
For the 14 Tigers who participated, the experience may not help
them win a game, but it is one they will carry with them the rest
of their lives.
"The experience was significantly bigger than playing paintball,"
Lonergan said. "Understanding what the veterans are going through
on a very small level was important for every one of us. The
veterans definitely taught us a lot."
The experience surpassed everyone's expectations and there already
is talk of making it an annual event.
"There was a mutual respect from both sides," Holmes said. "The
basketball players were honored to be playing with veterans who
went to war, and the veterans thought it was cool to be playing
with college athletes."
For more information about Operation TBI Freedom, please visit its
website: www.rmhumanservices.org/program/operation-TBI-Freedom
