Reflections of Ed Salau

A Reflective Summary From '07 Guest Climber, Ed Salau:

"My traumatic, life-changing injury could have easily influenced me into a life of bitterness; however, overcoming obstacles, like a mountain, have served as opportunities to realize I am still "me", no less. Camp Patriot has not only provided the trip, but more importantly, you have demonstrated leadership - a leadership that warriors follow... From the front. Camp Patriot demonstrates that supporting the troops is more than placing a bumper sticker on a car. It is understanding an important tenant of the warrior ethos: "I will never leave a fallen comrade."

I followed two warriors up that mountain, an able-bodied one and a visually impaired one. I followed them because they led me up that hill. Captain Scott Smiley, blinded in combat, demonstrated another tenant of that warrior ethos: "I will never quit." It was easy to follow that man because he was leading by example (and he was faster than me). I am certain I would have never climbed that mountain, and ultimately achieving the goal would have been unlikely had Captain Smiley not been there that week. Camp Patriot orchestrated it, and I needed it. I am so proud of myself for getting as far as I did, and that is one of those accomplishments in my life by which I measure the true difficulty of new tasks. If I can do that, I can do anything. Thanks!  Thanks for what you are doing."