Wounded veterans get dive therapy

Nonprofit helps injured commandos and their families

Army Special Forces Master Sgt. John Masson stepped on a roadside bomb in Afghanistan nine months ago and in a flash, his life changed forever. But don't tell him that.

Masson lost his right leg, most of his left leg and his left hand, which was his dominant hand. Masson spoke of his injuries while grabbing lunch at the Hogfish Bar and Grill on Tuesday. Though in a wheelchair, Masson's wide frame towered over the table as he took a slow pull from a Corona. The 40-year-old Indiana native said only that he was in southern Afghanistan, declining to speak about specifics of his mission, a common response from Green Berets who are often more comfortable operating in the shadows.

 

"They kept me in a coma for a while," he said. "I had some infection problems, but I have no complaints. Starting Special Forces was the best military decision I've ever made."

Masson extended his barrell-like arms, exposing some of his wheelchair.

"Just a new challenge."

That Masson has no complaints may best sum up the mindset of the small army of Special Forces soldiers who are in town this week to scuba dive with their families as part of the Task Force Dagger Foundation's mission to assist Special Operations Forces commandos who have been injured in combat.

The Texas-based nonprofit was formed in 2009 by retired Green Beret Keith David and three other Army commandos. They chose the name to honor the famed task force of Special Operations Forces that conducted the initial invasion in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Scuba diving is a great recreational therapy for those recovering from serious injuries, David said. The nonprofit organizers saw a need when they retired from combat.

Modern military medicine is saving more lives than ever before. Many men and women who would have died on the battlefield years ago are now being saved, but that saving grace is also creating a new army of amputee veterans and those with other severe medical conditions.

 

David and his comrades stepped in, but the need they saw transcended the injured.

"We saw families," David explained. "The healing experience involves the wives and children. These injuries affect families, not just one person. Healing is about the body and also the spirit and the mind. That's where families come in. Healing as a family, together, and coming away stronger is what we're all about. And one way we do that is taking the families out scuba diving."

The goal, David explained, is for the injured men to develop new hobbies with their kids that they can do together.

"Seeing these guys kick ass in the water and seeing them smile with their wives and kids as they surface, you couldn't pay me a $1 million to do this," David said, smiling. "Seeing these guys push themselves to get back on the boat, with the strength of one arm, without any help, that's awesome. That's the reward."

The crew was out with Dive Key West, which David wanted to thank, along with the Sheraton Suites, Turtle Kraals and Hogfish Bar and Grill, all of which helped pick up some of the expenses.

"We didn't want to get involved for the PR, but this week has been absolutely wonderful," Dive Key West co-owner Bob Holston said. "I hope they come back next year."

Holston wasn't sure who was getting more out of the program, the injured divers and their families or his employees.

"Everyone has been so impressed with the caliber of commitment and their attitude," Holston said. "And what's been really great is working with their families. Watching a man take that first dive along with his son ... maybe they can't run or play catch, but they can dive and they really want to do it together as a family. It's been very rewarding for us, just to be out there with their families and seeing the attitude of these elite forces."

David also thanked the instructors at the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Fleming Key, where Green Berets learn scuba stealth. The base crew welcomed the foundation to the base, David said. "Some of the (school) guys have been helping in an unofficial capacity, but we really want the foundation guys to be the focus of the attention," said the school's commander, Maj. Trevor Hill.

Back at the Hogfish, Masson was looking forward to another dive on the Vandenberg shipwreck.

"This is the best group of guys," Masson said. "SF (Special Forces) are the guys you want to be with. The people who have been taking us out have been awesome, too. It's been a challenge, but worth every bit of exertion."

For more information about the Task Force Dagger Foundation and information on how to donate, visit www.taskforcedagger.org.

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