jcbrandon
Explorer
I spent last week volunteering with Disabled Explorers at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. It was the unveiling of the new Sportsmobile W.A.V.E. 4x4 van project and I figured another person in the booth might be helpful.
It was an incredible experience. We had a continuous stream of traffic in the booth. Everyone had questions about the truck and its equipment. Many, many people told us about a friend or family member who is looking for ways to enjoy the outdoors. And a lot of disabled people tried out the wheelchair lift, hand controls, and camera system, and gave us a thumbs-up on the whole project.
Perhaps my favorite memory of the entire week was meeting Mark Ormond of the Royal Marines. While serving in Afghanistan, Mark lost both legs and his right arm. When I met him, he walked into the Disabled Explorers booth, shook my hand and introduced a couple of his fellow marines.
Here's a photo of Mark (in the center) with CSgt RM Art VM Brad Keeling on the left, Cpl Will Patten, RM, on the far right, and Lance Blair of Disabled Explorers next to Mark.
The Royal Marines came to the SEMA show seeking support for an event called the Gumpathon. They plan to run across the width of the United States. Disabled Explorers will be supporting the event and we are working out the details of that now.
It was an incredible experience. We had a continuous stream of traffic in the booth. Everyone had questions about the truck and its equipment. Many, many people told us about a friend or family member who is looking for ways to enjoy the outdoors. And a lot of disabled people tried out the wheelchair lift, hand controls, and camera system, and gave us a thumbs-up on the whole project.
Perhaps my favorite memory of the entire week was meeting Mark Ormond of the Royal Marines. While serving in Afghanistan, Mark lost both legs and his right arm. When I met him, he walked into the Disabled Explorers booth, shook my hand and introduced a couple of his fellow marines.
Here's a photo of Mark (in the center) with CSgt RM Art VM Brad Keeling on the left, Cpl Will Patten, RM, on the far right, and Lance Blair of Disabled Explorers next to Mark.
The Royal Marines came to the SEMA show seeking support for an event called the Gumpathon. They plan to run across the width of the United States. Disabled Explorers will be supporting the event and we are working out the details of that now.
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