The San Antonio Riverwalk is a gorgeous stone walkway along a canal system that winds around the center of town, and is lined with restaurants, trees, bridges and art. All of that went by at jogging speed in the dark this morning. Maybe I’ll get a chance to see it in the daytime before we leave.
For the morning concert band rehearsal we were joined by several members of the regular MEDCOM band, several of whom have also offered to perform with us. With only one rehearsal remaining before our upcoming performance, things are going pretty well.
I sat in with the Woodwind Quintet after lunch while James was busy, and then I had a few minutes to do a bit of maintenance on my horn. Tomorrow the Brass Quintet will have our last chance to go through our music. All the MPTs will be performing on a mass concert, so we’re all scrambling for rehearsal time in preparation.
The last scheduled activity was a tour of the CFI (Center for the Intrepid), a “state of the world” rehabilitation facility for severely wounded soldiers. The center was literally DONATED by more than 600,000 Americans, and in the words of the visionary behind the project those private dollars would “build twice the facility in half the time and for half the cost” of a government-funded project. I don’t know about the details of that quote necessarily, but the CFI IS an impressive facility based on the tour we received.
One lab is a motion sensor room right out of motion detection facilities used for CGI movies or video games. They can scan exact movements of Soldiers in their rehabilitation, and help correct any issues. They are also collecting a lot of data for future rehabilitation methods, and sharing their results with the other two similar military facilities.
Another room is filled with a “dome” structure equipped with a 6-degree-of-motion platform on which the Soldier stands, and then is fully-immersed in any number of scenarios. He/she might be in a city street, on a battlefield, or even snowboarding. The whole system allows the participant to practice balance, reaction, and develop reflexes based on “live” scenarios.
Their hydro rehab is being used for therapy more than at any other facility. They even have kayaks specially fitted for those with physical limitations, and a continuous wave generator on which Soldiers can actually practice boogie boarding. They feel (and I’m sure they are right) that this sort of therapy is much more interactive and engaging than simply lifting weights, and still accomplishes the physical strengthening and other rehabilitation objectives.
Other parts of the facility include a working apartment without handicapped modifications so they can practice what life might be like “in the real world” after their stay. In another room they can practice driving a simulated car, and the therapists can develop prosthetics to allow the Soldier to be able to drive again. Another room is set up as an indoor virtual shooting range. The indoor athletic track and weight facilities are all specially developed for this unique program. At all stages the goal is to return the Soldier to his/ her unit or back to a more normal life, and helping develop whatever prosthetics, programs or other prescriptions might be necessary. The whole facility was VERY impressive, and it’s very nice to know our severely-wounded Soldiers have such a facility to help them regain independence, confidence, and reintegration.
Dinner tonight was at a rather HUGE Mexican restaurant, and then I set to work doing laundry.
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