Saturday, October 25, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Sun Journal Article
Army retiree finds blessing through ‘On Target 4 Vets’
By Charlie Hall, Sun Journal Staff
Published: Monday, March 24, 2014 at 15:13 PM.
Havelock native Joe Couch married his high school sweetheart, Mari, before embarking on a 21-year-career in the U.S. Army, which included two tours of Vietnam.
During this career in aviation, artillery and special operations, she was his bedrock.
“She saw the full circle of ‘our’ military career, and I stress ‘our,’ because without such a wonderful, wonderful lady I don’t think my military career would have been as great as it was,” he said. “Her being from a military family, she knew what to expect and how the military operated.”
After retiring from the Army in 1988, he returned to this area and worked as a supervisor for 21 more years with a manufacturing company.
The couple had just really begun to enjoy retirement when, in 2011, Mari became ill and died in early 2012.
“I was really having a hard time,” said Couch, whose eyes tear as he talks about it. “I spent hours and hours and hours just grieving and grieving and grieving.
From time to time while out in the yard or walking his dog, Couch talked with his neighbor, Dick Mushet, whose son, Brian, is in the Army’s 160th Helicopter Unit, deploying to Afghanistan.
Brian is also a member of a new veterans’ support group — On Target 4 Vets — founded by former 101st Airborne Division member Michael Paul of Tennessee, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2002 skydiving accident.
On Target 4 Vets, based out of Colorado, funds disabled veterans with adaptive sports, recreational therapy and scuba diving.
“Dick was telling me about this organization and I got some interest,” Couch recalled.
He also remembered something his late wife had told him.
“I knew in my mind I had to do something, because she always told me, ‘you need to do something for your soldiers,’” he said.
He joined the group and is now the North Carolina team leader.
“It was a good organization for me to do something to help the soldiers and to help me,” he said.
A year ago, Couch organized a September offshore ocean fishing trip on the Carolina Princess for 35 veterans. The group included eight from the Wounded Warrior Project and military members who had been in the Marines, Army, Coast Guard and reserves.
He plans another trip on May 23, the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, aboard the Continental Shelf. He hopes to do another in the fall.
The free day includes breakfast and lunch and plenty of fishing. The vets can bring someone, a family member or a friend.
The trip lasts for six hours.
“A lot of these vets are handicapped, older gentlemen and an all-day event would just be too much for some of them. So, we do a half-day event,” he said of the trip, designed for vets to mix and relax.
The Continental Shelf is a 100-foot vessel, powered by three V-8 turbo diesels.
“The folks at Continental Shelf gave us a good deal on this trip,” he said. “But, we rely on donation from people in the area to do this.”
Registration is available at the On Target 4 Vets web site: ontarget4veterans.org/the- mission-programs
Anyone wanting to go on the trip or help through a donation can also call Couch at 671-9452.
Charlie Hall can be reached at 252-635-5667 or Charlie.hall@newbernsj.com
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Michael Paul, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been named PTR Humanitarian of the Year.
Press Release
23 February 2014
For Immediate Release
Michael Paul
On Target 4 Veterans
Named PTR Humanitarian of the Year
Hilton Head Island, SC - - Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) presented its annual awards this week during the 2014 PTR International Tennis Symposium. The event, which includes 40-plus on court and classroom presentations for tennis teachers and coaches, a trade show and tournament, was held February 20-23 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Michael Paul, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has been named PTR Humanitarian of the Year. An adaptive sports athlete who has been PTR certified since 2004, Paul has become a spokesperson for disabled veterans.
It started with a cross-country road trip, during which he pitched his idea to a fellow Delta Company vet he visited along the way. Paul wanted to get together for one last - or in this case lasting - mission! Through Paul’s passion, On Target 4 Veterans was born. Its staff is a group of patriotic Americans, mostly active duty and retired military personnel with a background in Special Operations.
The nonprofit organization provides funds, support and mentoring to disabled veterans through adaptive sports, recreational therapy, and health and wellness. Paul personally mentors disabled vets in various sports, including tennis. He is part of On Target 4 Veterans’ development and strategic planning team, focusing on raising awareness and funds to benefit disabled vets. Paul oversees the organization’s finances and budgets, marketing and branding, and establishes policies and procedures to ensure full transparency of operations.
Paul served our country as a paratrooper, and continues to serve through On Target 4 Veterans. Everything Paul does, he does with focus. He leads by example. In 2005, Paul received the PTR Golden Eagle Award. In addition to working passionately for On Target 4 Veterans, Paul competes in several sports, including tennis. His primary mission now is to show other disabled veterans how to live life to the fullest through sports, and to show our appreciation for the sacrifices they have made for our country. This is a battle we can help him win!
As the recipient of the PTR Humanitarian Award, Paul receives a $2,500 check from PTR Foundation Chairman, Scott Tharp, to continue his work with On Target 4 Veterans. PTR Foundation is the charitable arm of Professional Tennis Registry.
PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals with more than 14,600 members in 121 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and servicing tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.
Photo: Michael Paul with PTR Foundation Board Member, Luciano Botti
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Contact: Peggy Edwards • PO Box 4739, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938 USA
843-785-7244 or 800-421-6289 • fax 843-686-2033 • peggy@ptrtennis.org • www.ptrtennis.org
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Sweat for a Vet 2011 - November 12, 2011
Get ready to Sweat for a Vet on Saturday November 12th, 2011 at Tyson's Sport&Health plus SWEAT-a-Thons across the nation and around the world! Sweat for a Vet is an inclusive fitness fundraising event that benefits wounded warriors. Following the making of this clip sparked the idea of OT4V.
Michael Paul's Fellowship
As a Mission Continues Fellow, Michael earned a certification as a professional adaptive alpine skiing instructor and worked with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and Wounded Warrior Clinics, teaching other wounded veterans to ski. Michael is a former Army Airborne Ranger who suffered a spinal chord injury a parachuting accident.
About the Founder of OT4V
Hello, I am Michael Paul and I would like to start out by telling you a little bit about myself. I was born in Ohio in a family that believed in serving their country. My father was a Green Beret/ Special Forces for 27 years and served in Vietnam. He received a Purple Heart along with many other medals for his services to his country. My mother is a nurse and is all about helping people. I have several relatives that have served their country. So, I was born with the desire to serve and the motivation to excel in whatever I did. I joined the Army before graduating high school knowing that I may go to war in 1990. I felt it was my duty as a US citizen growing up in a military family that had a strong belief in honor and serving.
I was also born very athletic playing almost every sport and was good at most all of them. I excelled most in wrestling and martial arts and could have gone to college to play sports but I choice a different route. I used my athletic abilities in the Army to secure a job working in an elite unit attached to the military intelligence as a recon soldier. I served during the Gulf War and specialized in Airborne, Air Assault, Special Ops warfare. I went to Ranger school, SERE school, Close Quarter Combat School and various other training schools that was required and suggested to be in the elite unit I was in.
I got out of the military once there was peace. I decided to go to college using my GI Bill while working as a personal trainer, kickboxing instructor and later a massage therapist. I was fearless and still had the acquired desire for adrenaline from my military experiences. I had continued to stay involved with friends who were still active duty in a recreational level of skydiving. However, on September 29, 2002, my life changed dramatically. a skydiving accident, which resulted in a lower level (L1) spinal cord injury. I am able to walk, but I use a wheelchair to minimize the pain and to help me get around a lot faster. I am more fortunate then a lot of people I know who have higher-level injuries.
I could have decided to hang up my athletic passions, but I decided to take up competitive wheelchair tennis within the same year of my accident. Life was not over for me. I was going to use the abilities I still have and live life to the fullest. After 3 years of improving my game, I was ranked 3rd in the US for Men’s A division. Competing has allowed me to travel all over the country playing tennis and, just in the last few years, monoskiing. I was living in CO as a member of the Aspen Competition Ski Team while working on my Masters degree in Human Services and Counseling, which I graduated in May 2009. I completed my Bachelors in Mass Communication with a minor in Tennis Coaching & Art from MTSU in 2006.
I was apart of developing the collegiate wheelchair tennis program at Middle Tennessee State University. We won the Nationals 4 years in row and the program is still growing across the country giving hope to kids going to college where they can be a part of a program that offers adaptive sports and promotes wellbeing for people with disabilities.
I became a sponsored ski racer with Challenge Aspen sponsored by Challenged Athletes Foundation Operation Rebound. I was able to train, compete along side other disabled veterans for the entire season. I also became an adaptive ski instructor teaching others how to ski.
I have done the LA Marathon with the support of Rancho last year and came in 3rd place in my division. I am happy to have the opportunity to play any sport with the Rancho group. Participating in Adaptive Sports is not only good for one’s health; it builds confidence, self-esteem and independence, as well.
I was working with the PVA at the VA in Long Beach as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern, helping others who seek to reach their fullest potential. I am an alumni of the Mission Continues and was supported with this opportunity as a fellowship with the PVA. This opportunity lead me to a position as a National Service Officer, help veterans with their benefits and advocate for their healthcare at the VA.
I also got CrossFit certified to fitness train others with disabilities to promote exercising and fitness. This will help build confidence and motivation for them to continue with a mission in life after injuries. For thousands of individuals with disabilities, the road back to a full and meaningful life has been charted and paved by sports and recreation. Athletic competition is as beneficial for individuals with disabilities as it is for the able bodied. It gives us hope for a better day and something to push ourselves towards. If I didn’t have sports during the recovery process, I don’t think I could have gotten up as easily and transitioned into a new life with less mobility.
After many years being involved with various nonprofit organizations as a spokesperson I felt it was time for me to put together my own team to develop a nonprofit to bridge gaps in providing services to veterans in any area that is not being provided already. In July of 2011, I drove cross country from California, after doing a promotion video for “Sweat for a Vet” at Johnny G’s home in Santa Barbara, CA. to Colorado on my way to Ohio to see my family I stopped to talk to my fellow Delta Company veteran to pitch an idea to bring him along in this journey to help veterans. Mike agreed to help out and since then we have seen things unfold as if it was meant to be. By connecting his network of people and our fellow service member we have served with to bring us all together for one last mission to help veterans that may need encouragement or a mentor to get them to where they need to be. On Target 4 Veterans are basically veterans and soldiers helping their fellow veterans and soldiers through mentoring, fellowship in a safe environment through recreational therapy and activities that promote health and wellness.
I was also born very athletic playing almost every sport and was good at most all of them. I excelled most in wrestling and martial arts and could have gone to college to play sports but I choice a different route. I used my athletic abilities in the Army to secure a job working in an elite unit attached to the military intelligence as a recon soldier. I served during the Gulf War and specialized in Airborne, Air Assault, Special Ops warfare. I went to Ranger school, SERE school, Close Quarter Combat School and various other training schools that was required and suggested to be in the elite unit I was in.
I got out of the military once there was peace. I decided to go to college using my GI Bill while working as a personal trainer, kickboxing instructor and later a massage therapist. I was fearless and still had the acquired desire for adrenaline from my military experiences. I had continued to stay involved with friends who were still active duty in a recreational level of skydiving. However, on September 29, 2002, my life changed dramatically. a skydiving accident, which resulted in a lower level (L1) spinal cord injury. I am able to walk, but I use a wheelchair to minimize the pain and to help me get around a lot faster. I am more fortunate then a lot of people I know who have higher-level injuries.
I could have decided to hang up my athletic passions, but I decided to take up competitive wheelchair tennis within the same year of my accident. Life was not over for me. I was going to use the abilities I still have and live life to the fullest. After 3 years of improving my game, I was ranked 3rd in the US for Men’s A division. Competing has allowed me to travel all over the country playing tennis and, just in the last few years, monoskiing. I was living in CO as a member of the Aspen Competition Ski Team while working on my Masters degree in Human Services and Counseling, which I graduated in May 2009. I completed my Bachelors in Mass Communication with a minor in Tennis Coaching & Art from MTSU in 2006.
I was apart of developing the collegiate wheelchair tennis program at Middle Tennessee State University. We won the Nationals 4 years in row and the program is still growing across the country giving hope to kids going to college where they can be a part of a program that offers adaptive sports and promotes wellbeing for people with disabilities.
I became a sponsored ski racer with Challenge Aspen sponsored by Challenged Athletes Foundation Operation Rebound. I was able to train, compete along side other disabled veterans for the entire season. I also became an adaptive ski instructor teaching others how to ski.
I have done the LA Marathon with the support of Rancho last year and came in 3rd place in my division. I am happy to have the opportunity to play any sport with the Rancho group. Participating in Adaptive Sports is not only good for one’s health; it builds confidence, self-esteem and independence, as well.
I was working with the PVA at the VA in Long Beach as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern, helping others who seek to reach their fullest potential. I am an alumni of the Mission Continues and was supported with this opportunity as a fellowship with the PVA. This opportunity lead me to a position as a National Service Officer, help veterans with their benefits and advocate for their healthcare at the VA.
I also got CrossFit certified to fitness train others with disabilities to promote exercising and fitness. This will help build confidence and motivation for them to continue with a mission in life after injuries. For thousands of individuals with disabilities, the road back to a full and meaningful life has been charted and paved by sports and recreation. Athletic competition is as beneficial for individuals with disabilities as it is for the able bodied. It gives us hope for a better day and something to push ourselves towards. If I didn’t have sports during the recovery process, I don’t think I could have gotten up as easily and transitioned into a new life with less mobility.
After many years being involved with various nonprofit organizations as a spokesperson I felt it was time for me to put together my own team to develop a nonprofit to bridge gaps in providing services to veterans in any area that is not being provided already. In July of 2011, I drove cross country from California, after doing a promotion video for “Sweat for a Vet” at Johnny G’s home in Santa Barbara, CA. to Colorado on my way to Ohio to see my family I stopped to talk to my fellow Delta Company veteran to pitch an idea to bring him along in this journey to help veterans. Mike agreed to help out and since then we have seen things unfold as if it was meant to be. By connecting his network of people and our fellow service member we have served with to bring us all together for one last mission to help veterans that may need encouragement or a mentor to get them to where they need to be. On Target 4 Veterans are basically veterans and soldiers helping their fellow veterans and soldiers through mentoring, fellowship in a safe environment through recreational therapy and activities that promote health and wellness.
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