海角大神

They don鈥檛 come just to fish for 60-pound sturgeon on the Columbia River, or hunt elk in a Montana wilderness, or climb picturesque Mt. Rainier.

These injured military veterans, some of whom have lost a leg or an arm or their sight, also come for the camaraderie, the friendship. 鈥淩ecreational therapy鈥� is only part of the cure.聽

Camp Patriot, a nonprofit group started by Micah Clark in 2006, gives a hand up to injured US military veterans who are struggling by helping them make new friends while on outdoor adventures.聽

The program鈥檚 motto is 鈥済iving back to those who have given.鈥�

Mr. Clark, a US Navy veteran, sees Camp Patriot as a way of paying off a debt to those who were injured as they fought to protect the United States.

鈥淭he only reason our country鈥檚 documents mean anything is because these guys signed their name to a blank check to the United States government that says 鈥榰p to my life, I鈥檒l defend those documents,鈥� 鈥� Clark says. 鈥淲ithout someone picking up a weapon and standing post, those papers are [worthless]. I say why don鈥檛 we support these guys.鈥�

The 140-plus veterans who have gone on Camp Patriot outings receive a psychological boost, a lift that leaves them saying in amazement 鈥淚 can do that!鈥� Then they ask themselves 鈥淲hat else can I do?鈥�

In June, Clark organized a three-day event on the Columbia River that included fishing and a 24-mile kayaking trip.

Dominic Ferraro, one of the four veterans on the trip, often chatted as he paddled along the chilly and swift Columbia River about 30 miles outside Richland, Wash. As he soaked up the scenery, including the beautiful rolling hills that rise above the river, conversation with fellow vets began to flow, too.

鈥淵ou can feel at ease,鈥� says Mr. Ferraro, who lives in Walla Walla, Wash. 鈥淚 enjoy just coming back to hang out and talking with guys who are like-minded. There鈥檚 a camaraderie.鈥�

There鈥檚 also a sense that he鈥檚 just with friends, not being observed by counselors.

The way other veterans 鈥渢hink is the way you think,鈥� Ferraro says. 鈥淵ou can trust them because they鈥檝e been through it. We鈥檝e all been to war. What you鈥檝e gone through a civilian can鈥檛 fathom. But these guys do. It鈥檚 time for me to unwind and relax.鈥�

Building relationships is a big part of these outdoor adventures. The program also tries to help veterans focus on what they can do, not what they can鈥檛.

Jesse Williams, a US Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq, was among those on the kayaking trip down the Columbia River. During a terrorist attack on his third deployment in Iraq, a semitrailer truck going 55 miles per hour slammed into his Humvee, crushing his skull. Three times while in the hospital he was considered dead; he was put into a medically induced coma for a month in September 2009. In a surgical operation, 44 percent of his skull was replaced.聽

Now Camp Patriot is the prod Mr. Williams says he needs to 鈥済et out and connect.鈥�

鈥淏eing a homebody, it鈥檚 just good to get out of my apartment,鈥� says Williams, who lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to get out and socialize with people with similar backgrounds and experiences. Doing something physical is helpful in a lot of ways,鈥� both physically and emotionally.

Williams, who will begin college classes in the fall and plans on going into a house rental business with his brother, has a message he wants to share with injured vets. He鈥檚 an example of hope, he says.聽

He鈥檚 gone through the anger and the withdrawal. 鈥淚鈥檝e gone through all that in large quantities,鈥� says Williams, who received a medical discharge from the Army in October 2011. 鈥淚 have a lot of experiences that would be beneficial for a lot of folks.鈥�

His biggest mistake, he says, had been dwelling on and regretting the past instead of focusing on the future. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been probably one of my toughest battles,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淭rying to move [on] from the regret.鈥�

Meanwhile, what Matt Daniels, a US Army veteran from Niagara Falls, N.Y., likes about Camp Patriot and the kayaking trip was what didn鈥檛 happen. No counselor was there asking questions, probing into his life and his past.

鈥淪o often you鈥檙e forced to sit down and look back and recap,鈥� says Mr. Daniels, who was injured when his Humvee hit an improvised explosive device. 鈥淚 was relieved that there was no one here forcing me to talk 鈥� talking to some guy who sits behind a desk and knows nothing about the Army experience.鈥� And while vets talk with other vets about their experiences, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not a counseling session.鈥�

When Clark himself got out of the US Navy in 1997, he wasn鈥檛 sure what to do next. But as friends were killed or injured fighting in Iraq in subsequent years, Clark, a lifelong avid outdoorsman, began thinking about starting an outdoor adventure outreach for veterans injured in combat.

鈥淭he outdoors is a good starting point to decompress,鈥� Clark says.聽

In the first eight years of Camp Patriot, Clark has planned hunting, hiking, kayaking, and fishing trips all across the Northwest US. His next goal is to purchase a 150-acre ranch in Montana that includes five cabins, a 16-acre pond for fishing, and miles of trails.聽

鈥淭he ranch will bring us to a whole different level,鈥� Clark says. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 hoping to do is bring 300, 500 vets through the program in a year with volunteers.鈥�

Over the years Clark has brought a one-legged Army veteran up 14,409-foot Mt. Rainier, taken an injured Vietnam veteran fishing, and accompanied a blind Army veteran on a hike.聽

It鈥檚 by doing 鈥� hiking, fishing, hunting, or riding a horse through the woods 鈥� that veterans discover that they can do more than they thought they could. The focus turns to what鈥檚 next, not what has happened.

Camp Patriot helps vets see that the injuries they suffered in the military don鈥檛 have to define them.

鈥淵ou do your best to move on,鈥� says David Hartman, an Army captain who injured his back fighting in Iraq in 2004. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of what is now me. But you move on. It鈥檚 filling your life with new amazing things, as opposed to dredging it all up. It鈥檚 still there. But you鈥檝e got to move on.鈥�

Mr. Hartman said Camp Patriot helps injured veterans understand that.

鈥淛ust being outdoors is good therapy,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e call it fresh-air poisoning. It鈥檚 just good to get away.鈥�

Clark says one goal of his program is to challenge veterans to learn new ways of thinking in order to overcome their wounds. He calls it making a 鈥渃urable change.鈥�

鈥淵ou can get caught up with depression and hatred, asking why did I sign up?鈥� Clark says. 鈥淲hy did this happen to me? But you鈥檝e got to live your life in honor of those who died. They鈥檇 want you to live your life.鈥�

When his Montana ranch gets going, part of the recovery program for injured veterans will include Bible study led by pastors visiting from across the country, Clark says. And he plans to establish a network of churches that veterans can connect with when they return home.聽

鈥淚 can鈥檛 stay in contact with every vet that comes through here,鈥� Clark says. 鈥淪o my plan is to have these ministers come up and do a Bible study. When [the veterans] get home to Texas [or wherever], they can reach out to them.聽

鈥淭he church becomes the support mechanism. We鈥檒l be a conduit to care.鈥�

鈥�聽To learn more about Camp Patriot, visit www.camppatriot.org.

How to take action

Universal Giving聽helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by Universal Giving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause.聽

Below are groups selected by Universal Giving that help military veterans or those with disabilities:聽

鈥�聽Team Rubicon聽unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Take action: Outfit a veteran with safety gear.

鈥�聽The Bhutan Foundation聽promotes conservation of the environment and good governance. Take action: Fund training for four visually impaired candidates to become certified therapists.

鈥�聽Greenheart Travel聽provides cultural immersion programs. Take action: Volunteer to help disabled children in Vietnam.