Troy is TRR’s first Wounded Warrior to become an ACA certified instructor and was also TRR’s first Mission Continues employee. Troy was instrumental in the development of the leadership component of the program. Here is his story:

I was hit by an IED on March 10, 2006. I had both eardrums blown out, nerve damage in my left leg, traumatic brain injury, and a lot of shrapnel left in the body.

Kayaking has helped me in the physical side of things like mobility and physical fitness, and has also helped me mentally with reintegration back into society. I have had many great adventures on the Potomac River, run the Grand Canyon, taken first place at the local freestyle competition, but I would have to say that the one thing that tops them all was surfing ODeck for the first time. I remember spending days out there getting blown off the wave and the first time I caught it was AMAZING. It took much of what I had learned up to that day to get on that wave!

Other Wounded Warriors or disabled veterans participate in TRR ecause there is no reason to sit in your room and say “why me?”. It happened and now it is time to move on from that and paddling is a great way to move on. There are two things you can do after you get injured. Get busy living or get busy dying. It is also a great way to meet people and have a good time. I would have to say some of my fondest memories are out on the water kayaking.