Extreme Therapy

SUN VALLEY, ID - AUGUST 14: ***EXCLUSIVE*** Specialist Andrew W. Soule, 25, learns to ride a horse, part of a series of choices he made as to which sports he wanted to pursue as part of a week of outdoor activity August 14, 2006 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The program is run by an organization called Higher Ground and is done in conjunction with the Veterans Administration and is free to these wounded and disabled servicemen and women. These images focus on a week in the life of three disabled war wounded veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan conflicts. The three men are Major Anthony Smith, 39, an African American man who was severely wounded in the hip in Iraq while on deployment. He is missing an arm, is recovering from 4 bullet wounds and has only partial use of his right leg and hip after being struck by an RPG. Damien Jocobs, 30, is a Marine Staff Sergeant with a below the knee amputation as a result of an IED explosion in Iraq. Andy Soule, 25, is a specialist who was blown out os his vehicle by an IED in Afghanistan. Andy is a double above the knee amputee. Higher Ground is a program run by Sun Valley Adaptive sports in Ketchum, Idaho. They are an NGO looking to provide a sports based meaningful rehabiliation experience for disabled veterans. The program involved taking the men, all of whom are amputees of sorts, down the Main Salmon River on a 4 day river rafting trip and then offering them the opportunity afterwards to pursue futher sporting intersts such as climbing, parasailing, kayaking and horse-riding. The program also encourages disabled veterans to bring their wives on the program. It is aimed at a healthier and speedier recovery through outdoor recreation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Exclusive By Getty Images)