Peer Support: Helping Blinded Veterans Adjust (NAPSA)—Private First Class Kenny Adams, then 22, had only been in Afghanistan a short time when, in early 2004, he was wounded in a firearm accident that caused a traumatic brain injury and total loss of sight in both of his eyes. Private Adams was not expected to live more than 72 hours—yet 3% years later, on a September Saturday evening at the Houston Raceway Park, he found himself behind the wheelof a stock car in a five-lap race. The dramatic event, part of “Kenny Adams Day” in Houston, was viewed live by 8,000 spectators at the raceway and was videotaped for a nationally syndicated prime-time television program. Nine additional car races, an F-16 flyover, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter landing and a procession of 400 motorcycles, led by Adamson a three-wheel motorcycle, all highlighted the occasion. The Blinded Veterans Association’s (BVA) desire to recognize and honor Adamsand his family is part of the organization’s larger effort nationally to reach out to the estimated 2,200 servicemen and -women who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with a vision-related injury. Aspart of the program,officially titled “Operation Peer Support,” veterans of earlier conflicts—likewise blinded—help these newly returned soldiers look ahead to the possibilities their lives still present to them. This is done through social activities, counseling, educational forums and the sharing of useful information. FormerIndy race car driver Joey Truscelli declares blinded vet Kenny Adams a winner in life prior to a memorable race event on the day namedfor him. “Physical and emotional isolation can be a hugeissue for brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for their country,” says BVA director of Government Relations Tom Zampieri. “Operation Peer Support provides the opportunity to thank these men and women for their service and to help them access all of the benefits, support and opportunities that they have rightly earned.” BVA’s 53 regional groups throughout the country serve as the institutional means and the frequent catalyst through which the organization seeks out the estimated 167,000 blinded veter- ans nationwide who may need help in confronting the challenges of blindness. BVA provides direction and assistance free of charge to any legally blind veteran, regardless of how the individual lost his or her sight. For more information, visit www.bva.org or call (800) 669-7079.
