By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Friday, Mar. 16, 2007
Army Sgt. Steven Curry -- the Peterborough native who lost his lower leg fighting in Iraq in November -- is headed to his home state today for a bit of skiing.
"They have already made him three or four (prosthetic) legs," his mother, Marcia Chamberlain Curry, said. "He has one for walking, one for skiing, one for high-impact sports. He is quickly learning that the only thing that will hold him back is himself."
Curry has been extremely well-treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, she said. "Walter Reed is getting such bad press, but what you don't hear about is all the good they are doing for people like Steven," she said. Curry, a member of the 25th Infantry, is one of 10 soldiers headed to Waterville Valley for the weekend to ski as part of the third annual Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. Walter Reed coordinated the event with the nonprofit group, AbilityPLUS program at Waterville Valley. For three days, specially trained instructors will work with the recently wounded soldiers. Curry has already been out to ski in Virginia on a sit-ski. He did so well, he was taken to a ski area in Pennsylvania where he snowboarded. After the trip to Waterville Valley, he is being taken to Aspen, Colo., for a week of skiing there, his mother said.
Curry grew up in North Carolina, where his mother still lives. He was born in New Hampshire and lived in Jaffrey until he was about 5. He has been stationed in Hawaii with his wife, Samantha, and son McKenna, 20 months old. They are now living in an outpatient building on the campus of Water Reed in Washington, D.C. He was injured on Nov. 19 while riding in a Humvee in the gunner's seat not far from Kirkuk, Iraq. The vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.
"From what they can piece together, apparently a large piece of shrapnel went through his foot," Marcia Curry said. "He was able to get himself out of the truck and was helped to the curb. The medic was there and when they got his boot off, he was able to wiggle a couple of toes and was mainly concerned with bleeding out," she said. When he awoke from surgery, half of his left foot had been amputated. He was then moved to Germany, where a series of operations led to more of his foot being removed. On Dec. 1, his leg was amputated below the knee. Steven and his family will be staying with a host family in Waterville Valley for the weekend.
Kathy Chandler, founder and executive director of the AbilityPLUS program at Waterville Valley, said the project is the "most exciting event we do and gives the whole community a sense of giving back," she said. The injured soldiers are provided complimentary transportation, lodging, adaptive equipment and individualized instruction, and free skiing, she said. A community reception at the Waterville Valley Conference Center is scheduled for tonight. Dinner and entertainment will be hosted Saturday night by the Diamond's Edge North restaurant in the village square.