Wounded Warriors Interact with Dolphins in Florida Keys
Story: Wounded Warriors Interact with Dolphins in Florida Keys
Locator Super: Marathon, Florida Keys
Video: Video to match this story is available on the Florida Keys News Bureau's FTP server (download information below) and can also be downloaded via Google Drive link here. B-roll of wounded veterans interacting with dolphins; SOTs with retired U.S. Marine Corp. Staff Sgt. Kemmini Washington and Dolphin Research Center president and CEO Rita Irwin. B-roll with Washington begins 00:47 and ends at 01:11.
TRT: 3:30
Filename: KeysSoldierRideDolphins.mp4
Video source: Florida Keys News Bureau
MARATHON, Florida Keys – Interacting with bottlenose dolphins in the Florida Keys provided physical and emotional therapy Sunday for a group of wounded U.S. military veterans.
The activity at Dolphin Research Center ended the Wounded Warrior Project’s annual Florida Keys Soldier Ride, a three-day cycling experience for vets that took some 40 participants and their families on a trip down the Florida Keys Overseas Highway to Key West.
The soldiers, whose injuries range from missing limbs to those affecting their mental health, rode through the Upper Keys Friday and then crossed the Middle Keys’ iconic Seven Mile Bridge. Saturday, they joined Key West community members for a patriotic ride around the island city.
The half day of dolphin therapy at DRC gave participants an opportunity to interact with the marine mammals as they performed behaviors including shaking flippers, dolphin kisses, splash sessions and dorsal pulls. Engaging directly with dolphins helped participants momentarily forget about their injuries, and for many it was a dream come true.
For retired U.S. Marine Corp. Staff Sgt. Kemmini Washington, who was severely injured during his last tour in Iraq, which ended his military career in 2007, the chance to participate and interact with dolphins was a highlight of his continuing recovery.
“Once they come around and you get to feel and touch the dolphins, it takes you into a different mindset, which is completely off of what you're going through on a day-to-day basis,” Washington said. “So that experience today was life-changing.”
For Washington, involvement in the Wounded Warrior Project program has meant a long but incredibly successful recovery of his ability to walk again.
“The different things, different transitions, different opportunities has not only been instrumental in regaining the full ability and the use of my legs, but mentally as well,” he said. “I went down a dark path and didn't want to be on this side of the world anymore, but due to those programs, it has helped me tremendously.”
The team at Dolphin Research Center looks forward to providing the experience every year at the conclusion of the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride. The facility’s co-founder and chief operating officer, Armando “Mandy” Rodriguez, is himself a Vietnam veteran.
“It's one of the ways that we can say thank you and help these warriors come back into life here after battle,” said Rita Irwin, president and CEO of Dolphin Research Center. “So it's a very emotional day that's gratifying to us.”
Irwin said that the dolphins’ ability to instinctively interact with the warriors is incredibly special.
“Let's say someone is paralyzed and their arm can't reach out,” Irwin said. “The dolphins observe that and they adapt to the needs of each individual. It's not something that we can teach them.
“It's because they're observing and they're creating a relationship with each individual, and it's magic,” she added. “It's incredible to watch this connection being made.”
Soldier Ride is organized annually by the Wounded Warrior Project to raise public awareness and support the needs of severely injured members of the military. Funds raised help develop peer-mentoring programs, foster veterans' independence, and arrange needed transport between home and a rehabilitation hospital.
Community organizations such as Dolphin Research Center help support the initiative, providing services free or at reduced cost. The dolphin interaction session was funded by the Charles Evans Foundation.
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Password: islands
Folder: News Video
Filename: KeysSoldierRideDolphins.mp4
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