VAIL, Colorado—Sgt. First Class Joe Kapacziewski’s 2005 injury in Iraq might have gotten the best of his right leg, but it certainly didn’t get the best of him.
Kapacziewski, 27, is in town this week with the Vail Veterans Program, the local nonprofit that teaches injured war veterans how to ski and snowboard. Kapacziewski tried the program shortly after his injury, when he and doctors were still trying to salvage his hurt leg. He tried a bi-ski, and had to sit down the whole time.
Now he’s standing—something Kapacziewski is a lot more comfortable doing. He’s getting ready for another deployment this month—his second deployment since his right leg was amputated in 2007.
Kapacziewski wanted to remain active duty, he said. There are only about 50 other active duty amputees in all of the U.S. military, he said.
“I can do everything I used to be able to do,” Kapacziewski said. “There’s nothing I think I can’t do.”
Having Kapacziewski around is great for the morale among the other guys, said Harvey Naranjo, an occupational therapist from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.
“They realize they’re not limited in what they can do,” Naranjo said.
Kapacziewski said he’s been talking to some of the guys who are new amputees—he’s hoping he can show them they shouldn’t give up.
“I tell them the sky is the limit and to never quit,” Kapacziewski said. “If there’s something you want to do, you’ll be able to accomplish it.”
Most of the veterans in Vail this week are newly injured. Naranjo said there’s been a steady stream of patients coming into Walter Reed in recent months, with a huge wave coming in just the last couple of weeks.
It’s something that continues to motivate Vail Veterans Program founder Cheryl Jensen—the fact that the wars and all of the injuries are ongoing. She doesn’t want people to forget about American soldiers, she said, which is why she continues to host the program six years after she created it.
The guys back at Walter Reed think of the program as one of the hottest tickets, Naranjo said.
While there are plenty of programs out there for veterans, there’s just something about Jensen and the Vail program that make it special, said Bunnie Wyckoff, a physical therapist for some of the veterans.
“They love getting away from Walter Reed, but part of it is Cheryl,” Wyckoff said. “She’s so accessible and so warm—I can’t imagine anyone here who doesn’t feel welcome.”
Wyckoff had breakfast at Larkspur recently with one of her patients, Josh Wege, 20. Wege had both legs amputated below the knee and is learning to snowboard. It’s the first time he’s gotten out of the hospital to have some fun since his injury on Oct. 4.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Wege said. “The instructors are just incredible.”
Wege said he’s in physical therapy all the time. He’s so happy to be outside, taking in the beautiful Colorado scenery, he said.
Wyckoff said the program does wonders for her patients. Learning what they learn on the slopes in Vail changes their attitudes, she said.
“They come back (to Walter Reed) just invigorated,” Wyckoff said.
Many of the wounded veterans are already invigorated after just one day on the mountain. Nathan Huddleston, 29, and Jeremy Walsh, 26, said they’re already hooked on snowboarding and plan to continue with the sport.
Anthony Villarreal, who was burned on about 70 percent of his body in Afghanistan, is also hooked on snowboarding after just a day. He said being in Colorado with the program is a stress reliever.
“It’s a nice change of pace,” Villarreal said.
With his burn injuries, it’s hard to participate in a lot of other veterans sports programs because it gets too hot for him, he said. He tried kayaking in Snowmass last summer but he feels a lot more comfortable in the cool winter air.
“It went well,” Villarreal said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
