what was your military experience?
I served In the 9th Infantry Division as a Non-Commissioned Officer, in Vietnam in 1969, and that division operated in what was called the Delta Region of Vietnam, which is the area of the Mekong Delta that runs around Saigon and up into Cambodia, and It's in the southern part of south Vietnam. I was a squad leader and on March 23rd 1969, during an ambush I was hit with a grenade, and ended up losing my leg above the knee.
what is it that you appreciate most about America?
The whole system of law and order and you know relative honesty in the system and the belief in the whole system is one of the great things about this country. You know when we go out and we try to earn a living, or make an investment we can be reasonable sure that you know that the law will protect us from illegal activity and things being taken away from us because of power or violence or change in social structure, so that is one of the things that I do appreciate is the stability of our system and the relative, not to say that we don't have crime, or that we don’t have violence- but the relative safety of our everyday life, and our life as a working person.
I also really, and I learned this I think after I became disabled, I am very appreciative and impressed with the generosity of the American people. It really is unusual, and I don’t think people realize but this idea of charitable giving both by corporations and by individuals is somewhat unique in the world. There are not too many countries that have a real structure, where a major part of our economy and society is dedicated to non-profit charitable work both in terms of donations and people who work in the field. And it's a great thing to see.
And I think when you travel to other countries, you start to realize that it is as much the exception as it is the rule. I've been to Tanzania in Africa, when we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. I've been to Argentina, in South America, where we climbed Aconcagua. I've traveled throughout Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia and some of these eastern European countries, and you talk to people that live there, and you know I just got back from Argentina, a lot of the ordinary citizens are very upset about the corruption that exists at the high levels in the system itself. And in Tanzania the people that live there talk with me about how there is a very tenuous peace between the citizens of Tanzania that under the surface that could explode at any time- and they worry about that in terms of mass violence, so you know these are things that they have to live with every day that we really don't have to deal with... And really it makes the quality of life so much better...
in lieu of your injury, do you ever regret joining the military?
No. now, when I first got hurt, and my experience, is very similar to literally thousands of other veterans that have been injured in this war and in others. First of all you’re just glad to be alive... Well I certainly was because I almost did bleed out on the battlefield... they had to pump a full 16 pints of blood into me to keep me alive. But I went through a period where you’re dealing with the pain and the operations and the infections that ensue because you were injured in a muddy and dirty environment. There’s times where you really regret it... And there’s a lot of grief about losing a leg and then having to learn how you’re going to deal with it. So there was a period where I would say- Yes, I did regret it.
But once I got through that period and started to get involved in sports, first of all, and then of course I had the support of my family, and quite frankly my faith as well helped me get though. But once I started to get active in sports and realized that I could really lead a full live with my disability, that feeling went away and I started both to, revel in the fact that I could do these things, but also to appreciate the struggles that a lot of people with disabilities go through in terms of dealing with their everyday life. And looking back now, I can absolutely say that it was one of the, or certainly a turning point of my life, because it completely changed my life but it was also one of the best turning points. I've had to grow as a person, I've had to learn to draw upon my inner strength to get through, and to rely upon family and friends to help me, and not be afraid to ask for help. And I've also gotten to meet some wonderful, wonderful people, not the least of which are the wounded warriors that were now working with. Who have strength and fortitude and a positive attitude that sometimes just blows me away. I mean when we deal with someone who is a triple amputee, and they say that they can still look forward, with hope, to the future, that is the most inspiring thing that I could possibly experience. So just on the people alone that I've met, and the character of the people I've met has made it worthwhile.
if you had one piece of advice for someone considering joining the military- what would it be?
Well, joining the military is a very individual decision. You have to decide how it's going to impact your family and your own life. And you know the families, they do have to sacrifice when someone is serving in the military. Because you know that person is being transferred to different stations, they’re gone for months at a time, and it's not easy on the families. So if you're married, if you have kids, even dealing with your own immediate families your parents and what have you- that's a consideration that you really need to think about because you will make sacrifices and they will make sacrifices when you join.
I think that the Army can provide a tremendous opportunity both to serve and to develop some very, very useful tools for employment and for life in the future. So whether you're staying for a long term or staying for a short time you can learn skills and you can learn how to deal or work with people of all different incomes and background levels and that kind of experience will serve you well in your work and in your life later on. So it certainly was a very valuable thing for me to be a part of, I was just a young kid out of California, and I didn't really have a purpose in life. And I can tell you that when I got out of the service, I certainly developed a purpose. So yes it's valuable, yes I think whether you’re going for a long or short time it’s a valuable thing to do in your life, but there will be sacrifices and you need to go in with your eyes open about that.
how do you think the treatment of veterans can be improved?
The GI Bill that is now available to military members that have been separated from the service is much more substantial and generous and really supports them as they go through school, so that’s one thing
Also the level of prosthetics services and support services if your injured is MUCH greater now and the technology that they give to us to be independent, whether that’s through the devices we use to get around- like lightweight wheelchairs or high performance prosthetic legs, lightweight crutches, orthotic devices that help support a limb that’s been injured by a wound- those are all much, much better now, than they were when I got out. I tell people that the first leg I got, out of Vietnam looked exactly like a leg that was in a picture in a civil war museum in 1865. So a hundred years later, I'm basically wearing the same prosthesis. So that part of it is much better.
The other thing that’s better is the availability of counseling for Post-traumatic stress disorder or post-traumatic stress.
Most guys coming out of combat have post-traumatic stress- you can't help but have it, because you go from living in a civil society to literally shoot or be killed, and so it’s a very traumatic experience. But it’s where it becomes a disorder when it interferes with your daily life and is a problem. There is counseling- they recognize the problems- and that is definitely better than out of Vietnam. I got discharged at the end of 69', and I had my first PTSD counseling, which I sought out from the VA, in 1981. So 11 years later I finally got some counseling and that was way too long.
what is the mission of disabled sports usa?
Disabled Sports USA has many programs, we have ones for children with disabilities, and civilians with disabilities, but if someone wants to donate to military veterans, that is warfighter sports program. And it’s not a separate charity, it’s part of our charity, it's just dedicated exclusively to serving the wounded warriors.
But basically the mission is to provide an opportunity for people to engage in sports, to learn independence, self- confidence and fitness so that they can engage fully in life, and be productive and live their dreams. And we use sports as a tool to get people back into life, to build their confidence, build their fitness and enable them to become productive and independent members of society. And what I have found and what we as an organization have found in our work is that sports during rehabilitation is one of the most effective tools for achieving both speedier rehabilitation and more effective rehabilitation. And this has now been proven in studies we have commissioned with Harris Interactive, to show that those involved with sports, both veterans and non-veterans, have a higher employment level, higher life satisfaction level, interact socially in a more positive manner, and look forward to their lives- and looking forward to the rest of your life is what I call hope.
kirk's job in Disabled sports usa
I'm the director, so the chief, cook and bottle washer.
But my job is primarily to help develop the resources that enable us to offer the programs and help get the message out about what we do. And speaking to how I really got involved with this, you know when you’re getting shot at, and your face is buried in the mud so you don't get your head blown off, I found myself praying that- dear Lord if you get me out of this, I am going to do something significant with my life, I'm not just going to live an ordinary life. But the prayer is to keep me alive and I'll give it back in a positive way. And of course I had no idea at the time this was happening, that it would end up being because I was disabled, but then coming back and going through a real rough time, where I had some pretty bad operations, and one point, contemplated suicide, and just having a real tough time rehabilitating, when I did finally get back into sports, it was such an exhilarating experience, to go from a slow motion world, to being at the top of a mountain skiing down the slopes. And the freedom and the joy that I felt- I really did want to turn around and teach others because I wanted them to experience the same experience I had.
I get inspired every single day. Every day. Well, actually I don’t know if I can say every day, but darn near almost every week, by the stories, and meeting the people that we serve, who are doing some absolutely incredible things, but they got that first start by getting involved in something in the hospital, some sport activity, and they just really took off.
But that is the payback, because I am having an absolute ball right now because the people were serving are just bouncing back so strongly and are doing such incredible things with their life, it's just a total inspiration for me. And so towards the end of my career now, it's just a joy to see this happen all the time, I mean I could tell you stories all day long- but just a couple...
what are some ways, apart from donations, that people can give back to disabled sports usa?
Well of course we appreciate donations, and that’s how we survive, but another way is volunteering. We have 118 local community groups around the country in 42 states that are a part of our network. So there are opportunities for a person to actually help to build the local organizations that are actually serving these wounded veterans with sports services.
They can learn to be an instructor, they can help with administration, they can help with finance, if they have skills in accounting or what have you, they can help in that department. They can help with transportation. These are just some of the ways that individuals can help to run the organization by providing services at the local level. And a lot of the programs we do are very local. So we are working with our chapters 365 days a year, providing grants, providing training, providing equipment- and they in turn provide the services at the local level. So you can contact the national organization, they can give us their zip code, and we can tell them where their nearest chapters are, they can also do that right on our site to see the chapter nearest to them, so yes, it’s very possible to help out without giving money.
financial valiance
88 cents of every dollar donated to disabled sports usa, goes to support their mission.
We are very much a direct service organization. We try to figure out the best ways to stretch our dollar as far as it can go, so we can serve as many people as possible. That being said, we don't do a lot of marketing, and activities that will get our name out there. We're known within the disabled community, and of course we're known at the hospitals because we're there all the time, but sometimes we don't get recognized outside, and that is one of the negative impacts of having a low overhead is that you spend your time and your money directly teaching and offering the programs to people so they can benefit from it, but that leaves you short in getting the word out about what you do.
A huge thank you to Kirk Bauer for taking the time to have this interview with us.
Be sure to check out Disabled Sports USA's website here: http://www.disabledsportsusa.org/