Lt. Rob Vaccaro Feature

Take the case of 1st Lt. Rob Vaccaro. In January 2007, while in Iraq, Vaccaro's Humvee was hit by an armor-piercing projectile. The then 24-year-old suffered a severe traumatic injury to the right side of his brain from a shock wave of the blast, and later had surgery to remove 80 percent of the right side of his skull.

After emerging from a four-week coma following the surgery, Vaccaro found the left side of his body partially paralyzed. Following five months of therapy, he was able to recover many basic abilities.

It was while he was still in outpatient rehabilitation that Vaccaro heard of Lakeshore's Operation Rise & Conquer. He, along with his father, traveled from Rhode Island to Alabama for the weekend camp.

Richard Vaccaro, Rob's father, was amazed by his son's transformation over the weekend. He said of watching Rob complete the ropes course, "I honestly thought that he would never again be able to do this type of activity. As he began to climb the rope net, I started having flashbacks of his recovery: the first four weeks watching him in a coma wondering if he would ever wake up. I was thrilled to see him use both hands, arms and legs to complete the course," he said.

"Historically, sports and recreation have always been ways to bring people together and offer camaraderie and teamwork," Goff explained. "Through participation in our extended weekend events, these wounded warriors are often able to find a way back to life through activities they may have never thought would be available to them again. Now, with Operation Adventure, we will be able to reach even more veterans who have suffered brain injuries.