{"id":2077,"date":"2015-07-27T10:04:24","date_gmt":"2015-07-27T15:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/pressrelease\/?p=2077"},"modified":"2015-07-27T10:04:24","modified_gmt":"2015-07-27T15:04:24","slug":"fort-belvoir-scuba-shop-dives-in-to-serve-patriot-patrons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/pressrelease\/?p=2077","title":{"rendered":"Fort Belvoir Scuba Shop Dives In to Serve Patriot Patrons"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Scuba<\/a><\/p>\n

DALLAS <\/b>\u2013 For Wounded Warrior Matthew Staton, the Patriot Scuba shop at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s Town Center at Fort Belvoir has helped give him a renewed sense of adventure.<\/p>\n

In January 2004, Staton was a second lieutenant in the Army stationed in Iraq when he took six rounds to the chest and leg, leaving him with no feeling in his left thigh, significant loss of use of his left leg, post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n

Ten years later, following his latest hip surgery, Staton was able to begin doing adaptive sports<\/a> and completed his first dive August of 2014 with Patriot Scuba. Being in the water is a recommended part of Staton\u2019s therapy, taking the pressure off his joint and reducing the pain his daily activities cause him.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Diving is] a popular thing in the Warrior community all around,\u201d Staton said. \u201cBecause of the way being in water feels, it gives you more of a sense of freedom than being out of water \u2013 and that doesn\u2019t preclude people with conditions like PTSD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patriot Scuba opened at the Exchange\u2019s Belvoir Town Center<\/a> in February. Jeff Currer and his wife, Merial, operate that location along with another shop in Occoquan, Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Fort Belvoir] seemed like a good fit. Probably 90 percent of our customers are military or have served in the military at one point,\u201d Merial Currer said. \u201cWe saw what water therapy could do and we wanted to see if that could help anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the true dive season just beginning, in their five months on the installation they have had more than 200 people sign up for their mailing list and the number of students in their Open Water Diver program has more than doubled from 13 to 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a growing business, and we are just going into peak season,\u201d said Veronica Reese, Fort Belvoir\u2019s Services Business Manager. \u201cTheir support of disabled vets and Wounded Warriors ties in with our installation tenants.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Currers have widespread military roots, stretching from Jeff\u2019s nearly 30-year-long stint as a captain in the Navy to Merial\u2019s 20 years of work supporting military spouses. In 2013, they founded Patriots for Disabled Divers<\/a> (PFDD), a nonprofit organization seeking to train handicapped veterans to scuba dive with no expense to them. That summer, they became the official scuba program provider of the Wounded Warrior Project<\/a>. Since then, Jeff, who heads up PFDD, has travelled across the nation to train about 400 Wounded Warriors to dive.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these military types are adrenaline junkies, but a lot of them can\u2019t jump out of airplanes anymore,\u201d Merial Currer said. \u201cSo this offers a kinder, gentler kind of rush for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Fort Belvoir, Patriot Scuba sees service members coming through to get their diving certification, undertake extra courses or to get their families certified so they can dive together. Through PFDD, they serve wounded veterans with disabilities ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to quadriplegia. Staton began diving with a grant he received from PFDD<\/a> and, since then, his wife and daughter have both taken courses with Patriot Scuba. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in the water gives me back that sense of almost total freedom,\u201d Staton said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great experience, and a family experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service goes where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives through goods and services provided. Exchange earnings provide dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs. The Exchange is part of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors, responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force through the Chiefs of Staff.\u00a0 To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.aafes.com\/about-exchange\/public-affairs\/press-releases.htm<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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