AMERICANWAY

CHERRI CROCKETT VETERANS Now You KNow: Warrior Hike uses the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Florida Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. each week to join Team Red, White and Blue, which is free for everyone, it's an opportunity for veterans to connect with their commu- nity and develop a strong support network. W i t h o u t e s c h e w i n g t r a d i t i o n a l psycholog ica l counseling , medication or physical therapy, research shows veterans can decrease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through physica l ac t iv it y. Accord i ng to t he Vetera n's Ad- ministration, bet ween 11 and 20 percent of veterans who ser ved in the Iraq and A f- ghanistan wars have PTSD. Joshua Williams, an infantry automatic rifleman with the 1st Calvary Division, battled anger issues after a 13-month deployment to Iraq in 2004. He says he drank heavily and fought routinely. "It was a really bad time," Williams admits. His life took a turn for the worse when his right arm was severed in a freak motorcycle accident. "Losing my arm took my anger to another level," Williams says. During 10 long, painful months recover- ing at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center in Bethesda, Maryland, he agreed to go on a fly-fishing trip sponsored by Project Healing Waters, a nonprofit organization with programs in 48 states. Outfitted with a pump-action automatic fly reel, Williams waded into Spruce Creek in central Pennsyl- vania with an awkward one-armed cast and turned his life around. Mastering fly-tying is a tedious and complicated task for anyone, and it's obviously even more challenging for a guy with one arm. With each success, how- ever, his resentment seemed to dim. "It gave me out-of-the-box thinking," says the father of two. "I could teach myself things like how to change a diaper with one hand — although that was probably a mistake." T h e b e s t w a s y e t t o c om e . No w 31 , W i l l ia m s t a kes u nder g r adu ate cou r ses at Old Dom i n ion Un iversit y i n Nor fol k , Virginia, guides fly-fishing trips and ties flies professionally. Josh's White Lightning and Josh's Wiggle Hellgrammite can be found in the Or vis catalog, which features high- end sporting goods. And it all began with the adventure program. "Spending time with fellow ser v ice members, there is healing and recovery and reintegration," says Dan Morgan, Project Healing Waters' director of communications and online marketing. Sean Gobin found such peace in 2012 while hiking with a fellow Marine on the tortuous Appalachian Trail. "You are not in front of a computer or television or phone," says Gobin, who served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan. "You are in your own head, so your brain has no option but to process everything you've experienced." oNwARD AND uPwARD: Warrior Hikers atop Maine's Mount Katahdin on Sept. 12, 2014 4 4 N Ov E m b E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY IAH LAX STL AUS PIT MCI BNA DFW JFK ATL CMH DEN EWR MCO LGA DAL PHL BUF 10% OFF AIRPORT PARKING MORE SPOTS, SAVE NOW! Now, with 32 locations at 20 airports, we really have airport parking covered. Make a reservation at www.TheParkingSpot.com Amway15-10% PHX Scan QR code when you land for coupon. Coupon valid at all Parking Spot locations. Offer expires April 30, 2015. This original coupon must be surrendered, no photocopies accepted. Coupon may not be combined with any other offer. Coupon not valid for On-Airport Valet at DFW. ©2014 TPS Parking Management, LLC. The Parking Spot and the spotted shuttle design are trademarks of TPS Parking Management, LLC. 10% OFF A I R P O R T PA R K I N G AT THE PARKING SPOT

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