The young men milling around Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge were clearly excited Wednesday evening to be in Sun Valley. They'd all arrived in the Wood River Valley over the course of the day from the Brook Army Medical Center in Texas as guests of the Sun Valley Adaptive Sports Winter Festival.
The men are disabled veterans of the Iraq War who are in town to take on some new challenges: cross-country and alpine skiing, and hockey. Disabled and able-bodied coaches also attended the dinner in their honor hosted by the David Ketchum American Legion Post 115.
The event was the inaugural banquet at Carol's Dollar Mountain Lodge. About 150 folks, many of them veterans of other wars and members of the American Legion, were in attendance.
During cocktails, Chris Leverkuhn from Indiana and Albert Ross from Louisiana played guitar and horn, respectively, for their fellow veterans. Both are right leg amputees who plan on trying all the available sporting possibilities.
"He'll try everything 'til he gets hurts," Ross laughed about his buddy.
The convivial atmosphere was palpable, as the vets—young and old—mingled.
The visitors are being hosted by American Legion members in their homes. The older vets volunteered also to drive the visitors while they're in town. Three of the American Legion Women's Auxiliary are hosting a breakfast for the wives this morning in Sun Valley.
Ketchum residents Bill and Jean Cassell are hosting U.S. Marine Cpl. Eric Elrod, 22, and his wife Jackie, of San Antonio, Texas.
"As a senior citizen I'm very proud," Jean Cassell said. "Everyone, from the Sun Valley Company to the Legion has been just great."
Elrod was severely injured in March 2004 in an ambush in Fallujah, Iraq. Currently an outpatient at Brook, a titanium rod has replaced his shattered right femur.
After enlisting in the spring of 2001, (much to Jackie's surprise), Elrod went to basic training three weeks after the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the East Coast.
In 2002, he was involved indirectly in the rescue in Nasiriyah of Private Jessica Lynch, the West Virginia soldier who had been captured during the invasion of Iraq.
"We had no idea what we were doing," he said. "I was in an armored assault vehicle. We drove around taking fire (as a diversionary tactic) while they got her out."
Then in 2003, while he was home in between deployments, he and Jackie, his college sweetheart from Texas A&M, eloped to Las Vegas. Their witnesses were three other Marines. All of them were in Fallujah. His best man was killed and the two other friends were also badly wounded.
The Elrods had a baby last year as well. Jackie was seven months pregnant when Elrod was flown to Bethesda, Md, six days after being shot.
"I came real close to bleeding to death in Landsthul, Germany," he said. "I received 18 units of blood. It's all given us a greater appreciation for things."
When Elrod's retirement comes through this spring, they both plan to go back to school. Meanwhile, enjoying 7-month-old Lacey is their priority.
Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thoreson and Ketchum Mayor Ed Simon both welcomed the group to the valley, and proclaimed Feb. 9 Veterans Winter Festival Day.
"We hope you become a band of skiers, make many friends and come back many times in the future," Simon said.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Eric Elrod and his wife Jackie are part of a group of disabled veterans and their wives who are in the area to try winter sports activities. Photo by David N. Seelig
