Tristan Heaton remembers the sea cave.
The U.S. Coast Guard Veteran says the Cape Lookout, Oregon, rescue of two brothers trapped in a sea cave was something that “changed my life, challenged me, and prepared me for every day since then.”
Heaton now serves as the director of the VA’s National Summer Sports Clinic, one of the several programs designed to improve the quality of life for Veterans with disabilities.
Watch how first-time participants do things they never thought they could.
Beyond the VA-sponsored events such as the summer sports clinic, the department partners with national, regional and community-based non-profit organizations to provide rehabilitative adaptive sports opportunities to disabled Veterans and Servicemembers throughout the country.
On September 29, VA announced approximately $8 million in grants to partner organizations providing adaptive sports opportunities. The grants will be distributed to 69 national, regional and community programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Approximately 10,000 Veterans and Servicemembers are expected to benefit.
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