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Wounded Veterans Take To Kayaks In Chicago River

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(credit: KayakChicago.com)

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dozens of wounded veterans from the Midwest spent the day kayaking on the Chicago River Friday.

They're all part of the Wounded Warrior program, as WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports

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The journey began on the dock of Kayak Chicago, at 1501 N. Magnolia Ave. where the North Branch of the Chicago River splits at Goose Island.

Veterans – some amputees, some with post-traumatic stress disorder, and some with traumatic brain injuries – got into kayaks.

Among them was James Dehan, who did a tour as a Marine in Iraq.

"I shattered my left foot and due to a lot of IED's, I received a traumatic brain injury and PTSD," Dehan said.

Getting back into the real world was hard, he says. Alone in a hole is how he describes it.

His wife, Erin, agrees.

"He wasn't the same person," she said.

But the Wounded Warrior Project changed everything, according to Dehan.

"But then, I had some vets reach into my hole and pull me out," Dehan said, "and here I am."

Rich Stieglitz says that's the very point.

"Our mission at the wounded warrior project is to honor and empower the wounded warriors," he said.

It's a lot more than taking wounded vets for a boat ride, but Friday was about recreation.

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