June 12, 2015 at 4:48 p.m.
Back in the hunt
AMVETS, Independence Fund donate Action Trackchair to veteran
Back in the hunt
By Kayla Thomason-
The mission of AMVETS Post 724 of Rhinelander is to assist veterans and their families. According to a press release announcing the donation, members heard of a new technology device, called the Action Trackchair, which offers people with physical disabilities a greater opportunity for outdoor mobility and independence, and thought it would be of help to wounded veteran Dale Cherney from Mosinee.
On Oct. 10, 2007 Cherney was on a third tour, stationed at Camp Liberty in Bagdad - a 'safe zone' area - as a financial officer, when incoming rocket blasts injured 38 people and killed two.
Cherney suffered brain trauma, lost his right leg below the knee, his spleen and his left eye. According to the press release, Cherney suffers from Survivor's Guilt, part of Post-Traumatic Stress Depression, and has had a hard time talking about what happened and how it has affected him.
The sudden loss of independence, not being able to get out onto his 10-acre property or hunt and ice fish like he used to, has added to his depression.
With the use of his new Action Trackchair, Cherney can now traverse his property and enjoy the outdoors.
"This is a great privilege," he said. "It is a privilege because it gets me out hunting."
Cherney said he is really looking forward to filling his freezer with venison and plans to be out in the woods a lot during the next hunting season.
"I'm very excited because this year I can actually get out, drive this someplace, stop it, maybe have a camouflage suit and just kind of sit there," he said.
His injuries limit his able to carry things - he can handle a maximum of 40 pounds - so the chair will be valuable in helping get his game home, he said.
Cherney said he is immensely grateful to the AMVETS, Action Trackchair and the Independence Fund for the donation.
"When Dale tried out his chair you could just see, it was like 'Oh my gosh, I'm alive,'" said Lynn Simon, representative of TSS Action Trackchair in the Northwoods, as well as the person who spearheaded the donation.
She said it was like a rebirth for Cherney because he now has a new thing to look forward to.
"As a caregiver it makes me the happiest to be able to see (Dale receive the Trackchair)," Simon said. "The loss of independence, whether it be an accident or a wounded warrior or from a stroke or something from a disease, is really hard for people and a lot of times people don't realize, until you walk the walk with someone, how much it takes a toll on them."
Kelly Schneider, marketing manager with Action Trackchair, was present for the donation which took place Tuesday at the National Guard Armory.
"I'm a strong believer that our troops deserve every bit of respect that we can give them and unfortunately being back home here while they go off and fight the fight, there's not much we can do for them," Schneider said. "If this is a way we can give back to them and thank them and get them back out with their families, get them back out doing what they want to do like Dale was able to do, it's a life-changing thing for all of us and I'm happy to be a part of it."
She said the Independence Fund has donated over 500 Action Trackchairs to wounded veterans to date.
June is PTSD Awareness Month and in the past year alone, the number of diagnosed cases of PTSD in the military has jumped 50 percent, according to PTSD United.
PTSD is recognized as a psychobiological mental disorder that can affect survivors not only of combat experience, but also terrorist attacks, natural disasters, serious accidents, assault or abuse, or even sudden and major emotional losses.
PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults in a given year, though the disorder can develop at any age including childhood.
Symptoms include strong and unwanted memories of the event, bad dreams, emotional numbness, intense guilt or worry, angry outbursts, feeling "on edge," and avoiding thoughts and situations that are reminders of the trauma.
More inforation regarding PTSD may be found at www.ptsd united.org/ptsd-statistics-2/#sthash.upS0weWM.dpuf.
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