Surf camp for disabled veterans

By John Streit

Correspondent

Although he just received detailed instructions on how to surf, Robbie Hall had trouble remembering the specifics as he waited for the waves.

Hall's forgetfulness had nothing to do with the excitement of surfing or a shot of adrenaline from paddling into chest-high waves at Croatan. The Army veteran survived injuries that at times can make learning new tasks difficult.

During a parachute jumping exercise with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, a static line got caught around Hall's neck leaving him temporarily paralyzed and connected to a breathing machine. The brain trauma left him with short term memory loss.

But thanks to the Wounded Warrior Project and surf clothing company Billabong, Hall was treated to a day he said he'll never forget.

The organizations came together on July 24 to host a one-day surf camp for disabled veterans from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Fort Bragg, N.C., and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth at the south end of Croatan. "It's pretty awesome when you catch the first wave," said Hall of Chattanooga, Tenn. "This is the first opportunity I've ever had to surf, so it's pretty exhilarating."

The Wounded Warrior Project, which runs its sports programming through the Maryland-based Disabled Sports USA, provided surfing as a form of therapeutic recreation. The nearly dozen participants were either brain trauma victims or amputees.

Camp director Jason Borte said he learned of the Wounded Warrior Project and the partnership with Billabong to provide camps in California last year, and decided he wanted to host similar clinics on the East Coast.

The first event was held in Camp Lejune, N.C. last summer before moving this year to a more central location in Virginia Beach.

"I run surf schools all summer, and you kind of get jaded teaching hundreds of people to surf. But to do that just made my summer because those guys appreciate it so much," said Borte, an Oceanfront resident. "Compared to what these guys do, I have a pretty charmed life. So to give back to them just in this small way is special."

Borte, along with several local Billabong employees and volunteers from the surfing community, helped teach the veterans on the beach before paddling out in the powerful surf.

Normally, smaller waves are preferred for instructing novices. It didn't seem to matter to the veterans. The crowd gathered along the beach cheered each time a veteran caught a wave. Hall said the experience was indescribable.

"I appreciate all these guys hooking us up with the boards, T-shirts and everything, letting us come out here and surf for a couple of hours," Hall said. "I think it's pretty amazing of Billabong to do that for us."

John Streit, 639-4805

vb.beaconsports@yahoo.com