Over the weekend, twenty disabled veterans donned air tanks and scuba masks and spent time in the pool at Glencliff High School. The event was part of a national effort to introduce disabled veterans to alternative forms of low-impact exercise. The scuba diving program is designed for veterans like Kyle Sexton.
Sexton, 29, served in the Army at Fort Campbell from 2005-2012. He says those years in the infantry were some of his happiest. And he would still be at Fort Campbell if it were not for an injury in Afghanistan.
Sexton was wearing heavy gear on his back when an improvised explosive device slammed him into a wall. He said that the IED ruptured his spine and caused him to permanently shrink by two inches. Sexton’s injury made it impossible for him to do things like run, lift weights, and work full time.
Sexton gained a lot of weight and slipped into depression. He’s since lost 80 pounds and turned his life around. He still lives close to Fort Campbell with his wife and children. But he struggles to leave his house. Sexton is thankful for “organizations like this [because they] help to get veterans up and off the couch. And break their normal schedule of being secluded.”
The scuba class was put on by Trident Veteran Adaptive Programs with the help of retired Marine and Nashville lawyer Rob Peal. Organizers hope to continue to put on scuba classes for the disabled veteran community of Nashville.
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