A group of West Point cadets from the West Point Track & Field Team visited a Camp Resilience retreat for the caregivers of disabled veterans in Gilford, New Hampshire this summer. The cadets participated in the retreat sports activities and spoke to the retreat participants and the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) clinicians who were facilitating the retreat.
Kurt Webber ’79, one of the founders of Camp Resilience, learned that the West Point Track & Field Team was visiting New Hampshire and was looking for community service projects to do while they were there. Webber contacted the head coach Mike Smith and proposed the visit, thinking it would be an excellent opportunity for the cadets to learn about the challenges that disabled veterans and their caregivers face while also learning about the VA and Veteran Service Organizations like Camp Resilience. Webber, a former Electrical Engineering and Computer Science instructor at West Point himself, said,“It’s important for cadets to know something about the VA and what the soldiers they will lead as Army officers will face when they leave the service.” Dr. Peggy Laneri ’83, a retired VA psychologist, was one of the clinicians facilitating the retreat.
Cadets visited the retreat on Ragged Island in Lake Winnipesaukee on August 7 for an afternoon of swimming, boating, tubing and hiking on a nature trail with the retreat participants. They also had a chance to meet U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, who was visiting the retreat that day. “The veterans and caretakers taking part in the retreat that week were extremely welcoming and willing to talk about their experiences and banter with the cadets,” CDT Erika Nyberg ’27 said. “I’m very grateful to the people at Camp Resilience for extending our team an invitation to their lake day and for what they are doing for veterans.”
On August 8, another group of cadets did the Aerial Treetop Adventures (ATA) at the Gunstock Mountain Resort. The ATA is a challenging high ropes course and the cadets were paired up with the retreat participants to help them get through the course. CDT Mikayla Cheney ’27, was paired with Dr. Laneri. “Through our conversations, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the VA and discuss future improvements that cadets at West Point could help achieve,” Cheney said. “The ropes course was a ton of fun and a great way to test yourself!”
“It was great to have the cadets visit the retreat,” Laneri said. “They not only had a lot of fun, but they learned some things that will be important in their future as Army officers.”
Camp Resilience leverages the scenic outdoors in New Hampshire to improve the physical, social, mental, and emotional well-being of Military Service Members, Veterans, First Responders, and their Families. Through exciting outdoor adventures, Camp Resilience fosters sports and recreational activities, life skills training classes, and peer-to-peer support, helping participants discover their unique brand of resiliency. Retreats are provided at no cost to the Veterans and their loved ones.
