Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans arrive with their German wives to do the BERLIN MARATHON! The Achilles Track Club, Inc., founded in 1983 by amputee marathoner Dick Traum,

(New York, NY)) -Achilles International announces that five special athletes will be competing in the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 28, 2008.  Two of them met their wives while stationed at American Army Bases in Germany and are bringing them back to their native country to witness their strength and courage as they complete the 42K without legs.  They will be using Handcrank Wheelchairs as part of a rehabilitation program of Achilles, called the FREEDOM TEAM of Wounded Veterans.
 
Sgt Pete Rooney 25 joined the army after high school and was stationed in Germany .  Soon after he was deployed to Iraq in 2007 when his vehicle hit an IED and instantly removed both of his legs on April 16th, 2007. He was sent to Walter Reed and recovered there for over a year. He has participated with the Freedom Team in the Hope and Possibility 5 miler and Boston Marathon . The day before the Boston Marathon, Pete threw the opening pitch at the Red Sox Game. Pete currently lives in Cummington MA with his wife Suzanne who is a German Native.
 
 SSG Hilbert Caesar was patrolling a few miles outside of Baghdad International   Airport on April 18th, 2004,   when his convoy was hit by a road side bomb (IED) He was one of three (3) soldiers seriously injured. Subsequently he suffered the loss of my right leg. He was one of the first Wounded Veterans to be part of the Freedom Team and has completed 7 marathons. Currently he lives in York PA with his wife Claudia who is from Berlin and daughter Emily.

Also in the group are two additional wounded veterans, Mary Bryant, the Founder and Director of the FREEDOM TEAM, Chief Dan Daly, Retired FDNY, Charles Klotsche, who founded the Globetrotter Marathon Program with takes them overseas, and female champion Achilles wheelchair athlete Jacqui Kapinowski.

 The group will arrive on Friday, and be available for interviews.

Genna Griffith
Director
Achilles Marathon Tour
www.achillestrackclub.org
212-354-0300
ggriffith@achillestrackclub.org

The Achilles Track Club, Inc., founded in 1983 by amputee marathoner Dick Traum, is a worldwide organization that encourages people with disabilities to participate in running with the general public.

Achilles provides training, encouragement, and technical expertise to disabled athletes of all abilities and ages. Runners participate with crutches, tethers for the blind, in wheelchairs, on artificial limbs and without aids. Achilles has members across the United States and in 63 countries around the world.
The Achilles FREEDOM TEAM of Wounded Veterans is a program for disabled Iraqi War veterans that has served over 280 members from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Balboa Naval Hospital, Brooke Army Medical Center and wounded vets from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Founded in 2004, members set goals, train in handcrank wheelchairs or “on foot,” participate in running and “achieve” through 5K, 5M or 10K races and then marathons around the country.

Eighty or more will comepete in the 26.2 miles of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, ING New York City Marathon and/or the Marathon of the Palm Beaches this fall. The success of the FREEDOM TEAM program is due to a certain extent from the integration with young non-military
peers who have also suffered amputations, traumatic brain injuries and vision impairments.

Our signature event is the Achilles Hope and Possibility 5 Mile Run/Walk. It is a race in which able-bodied and disabled compete together. For many, it’s their first opportunity to run a road race in a mainstream environment. While New York City hosts the original event, named after our Board Chair, Trisha Meili, who authored I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility, the races are expanding across the U.S. as a 5K, to introduce more athletes with disabilities, including Disabled American Veterans, into main
stream events before taking on the challenge of longer distances.

Membership to Achilles is free and includes races, coaching, workouts, team T-shirts, and our newsletter, THE ACHILLES HEEL.

The Achilles Track Club is a nonprofit organization designated 501(c) 3.
Combined Federal Campaign CFC # – 10026 EIN # 13-3318293
FREEDOM TEAM Founder/Director: Mary Bryant MBryant@achillestrackclub.org
Assistant Director / Logistics: Genna Griffith GGriffith@achillestrackclub.org

ACHILLES Running, Rehabilitation, and Education
42 West 38th Street, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10018
(212) 354-0300 Fax: (212) 354-3978 E-mail: info@AchillesTrackClub.org
www.AchillesTrackClub.org
www.achillestrackclub.org

Achilles Running Program for Disabled Iraqi War Veterans The Achilles Track Club has set up a running program at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in February of 2004 for disabled Iraqi war veterans, most of whom are amputees. With the support of Achilles coaches and volunteers, veterans learn to walk, to jog, and to run. Their rehabilitation is enhanced through physical activity, goal setting, and personal achievement.

In our first year, a team of 34 war heroes came to New York City for a fun and challenging Hope & Possibility 5M weekend as our guests. It included a tour of New York, dinner with other runners, a Saturday workout with the New York Achilles Chapter and a Sunday race in Central Park: “The Hope and Possibility Five-Mile Run/Walk.” The run is named after a book written by Achilles chairperson, Trisha Meili, I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility. Sixteen veterans returned in November and completed the 26.2 mile ING New York City Marathon.

The second year, we expanded to include injured marines from Balboa Navy Medical Center in San Diego. Seventy-five participated in the Hope & Possibility 5 Miler weekend. Additional support and memorable moments came from hundreds of FDNY firefighters who volunteered to “buddy up” with the team. We also provided support with the help of Disabled American Veterans Charitable Trust and AVIS to begin a national marathon tour. Cities included the Miami, LA, Boston, Washington DC – the Marine Corps Marathon – and New York, where we doubled our participation. Thirty-four finished and the team was featured in the New York Times and Runners World Magazine as Running Heroes. Disabled Iraqi War Veterans who are interested, will have an opportunity to either join or begin a new Achilles chapter in their hometown.

Currently, we have over 260 Achilles Freedom Team members. Adding to our team are Bethesda Naval Hospital and Brooke Army Medical in San Antonio. Due to the increased sophistication of enemy explosives, we have to help many more double and triple amputees. Therefore our handcrank program demands continue to increase. The team plans to finish this year with the Marathon of the Palm Beaches in December of 2007.
Achilles is a not-for-profit organization designated 501(c)3, which provides an opportunity for disabled members to participate in mainstream distance running. It provides people with an opportunity to achieve, and consequently builds confidence and self-esteem. Dick Traum, Ph.D., who founded Achilles in 1983, was the first amputee to run a marathon. Since its inception, Achilles has expanded to over three thousand members in the New York City metropolitan area, as well as others in forty-six cities across the United States and over sixty foreign countries. Achilles runners use crutches, braces, artificial limbs, and wheelchairs, or run without aids. Some are experienced athletes, while others are exercising for the first time. Members report that running enhances their health and, under certain circumstances, slows or reverses degenerative aspects of some disabilities.

For additional information, to sponsor a handcrank wheelchair or to make a donation, please contact program director Mary Bryant, at 212-354-0300 or email her at mbryantachilles@aol.com.

The Achilles Freedom Team Offers A Program With Results by Mary Bryant

What makes the FREEDOM TEAM program so special for wounded vets? More than a weekend getaway, Achilles builds its momentum by introducing distance running, setting goals and training individuals with disabilities to reach them, and then to strive for more.
Since our inception in the fall of 2003, we have worked directly with over 240 recently wounded young men and women back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you were to think of all the able bodied people you know who never even thought of doing a marathon, let alone attempt it, stop and think about the courage and determination of these wounded veterans. In the beginning at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC, we saw many doubting faces, yet in November of ‘04, we witnessed sixteen ING NYC Marathon finishers. The amazement and pride in their accomplishment rippled through their families, friends and communities. Last year, in ’05, we doubled that number to 34 finishers from our FREEDOM TEAM.

Many have returned home with new jobs, while some stayed in the military. Several have even returned to active duty, like Major David Rozelle, author of Back in Action. After being redeployed to Iraq, he’s home safe, and pushing other amputees to become as active as possible. Everyone remains on the
team, regardless of where they are, as long as they participate.

With an introduction to Achilles and workouts on handcrank wheelchairs, new amputees experience mobility and challenge. As their strength increases, so does their endurance and ability. This complements their rehabilitation physically, mentally and emotionally.

When our staff isn’t there in person, we’re ‘satellite coaching’ via phone and email. Team members encourage each other to get out and ride in between our official visits. This year, we have fifty registered to take on the 26.2 mile challenge, from Walter Reed, Balboa and Brooke Army Medical.

Lance Armstrong, who’s running his first marathon, met FREEDOM TEAM member Cpl. Chris Rutter, and his wife Amber, while we were at a training session in Central Park in September. When Chris, who lost both legs in Iraq, comes across the finish line of this year’s marathon, his medal becomes a benchmark to himself, his wife and to the millions who will witness it in a special program being documented by DISCOVERY. We set
goals, we achieve them. We look further. In the process of education and rehabilitation, we inspire many, and lives are improved.

With Military hospitals across the country now in the mix, the degree of results continue to spread. With additional resources we look to also expand to those who are visually impaired, paralyzed and have traumatic brain injuries.
We may think about, and pray about those who are fighting overseas, yet Achilles is actually doing something right here, with our FREEDOM TEAM program. This can only be done through the charitable contributions we receive from individuals and organizations.

Whether you help sponsor an athlete for a marathon, or provide a specialized wheelchair through the Endow-A-Handcrank program, every bit helps the whole team move forward in reaching their objectives.
 
Freedom Team
Freedom Team from BAMC in Texas Cyclist Lance Armstrong with Cpl Chris Rutter
Derek McGinnis crosses the finish line
Freedom Team at H&P
Moses from TX, Chad from CA & Matt from NY
Thank you Disabled American Veterans Charitable
Trust Foundation, Avis, SSMA Club, The Union
League Club, UHaul, The Fire Family Transport
Foundation, the FDNY volunteers, Cushman & Wakefield, the National Amputation Foundation, and countless others who give their time and resources to make this program possible.

Achilles Track Club