Those who help wounded soldiers honored at Yankee Stadium

When two groups that assist wounded soldiers were honored before last night's baseball game at Yankee Stadium, a thick-shouldered man in the audience took special pride.

James O'Leary, 26, had battled depression and turned inward after a 2004 mortar attack in Iraq caused major damage to the Army veteran's left shoulder and ribs, and tore away part of his left lung.

But members of Wounded Warrior Project, which helped organize one of the honored groups, had reached out to O'Leary, helping to persuade the former Rocky Point athlete that his life was not over.

"I think without these organizations, I'd probably be all alone somewhere," said O'Leary, who was an Army specialist when he was injured. "They are lifesavers, they really are."

Military veterans like O'Leary, men and women with multiple devastating wounds, have been the new face of war since U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and then Iraq two years later.

Medical triumphs that have boosted the survival rates of soldiers since Vietnam War come with a sobering price tag. Large numbers of veterans, who might not have survived their wounds in prior wars, are returning home with traumatic brain and spinal injuries, multiple amputations, horrific burns, disfigured faces and serious psychological disorders.

The two groups honored Tuesday - Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project - were saluted by Empire BlueCross BlueShield, a sponsor of some of their activities, at Yankee Stadium. The Disabled Sports Project, a partnership between Disabled Sports USA and the WWP, provides adaptive sports programs - skiing, bicycling, kayaking, rock climbing, among others - to boost the physical strength and mental health of severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

When Marine Staff Sgt. John Jones had both of his legs amputated after a 2005 explosion in Iraq, his physical wounds were treated at Brooke Army Medical Center, in Texas. But his mental state plunged.

"I was angry and depressed," Jones said.

His outlook brightened when a volunteer with Disabled Sports USA offered to take him skiing. Although dubious at first, he was doing jumps on the first day.

"From that point on, I felt I could do anything," said Jones, a Colorado father of three who is now the organization's spokesman.

O'Leary, now a student at Stony Brook University, said involvement in sports is powerfully therapeutic for wounded veterans because it can help restore their sense of independence.

He says he has immersed himself in Wounded Warrior activities, including a fishing trip to Alaska, bicycle trips in the Midwest and skiing in Colorado.

Now, he serves as a volunteer recruiter for the organization, reaching out to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on Long Island, and urging them to take advantage of Wounded Warrior activities.

"Some guys are just not ready, but for me, they meant a lot," O'Leary said. "If not for them, I'd be in a really bad spot."