I hope this isn't a duplicate post. I looked around and didn't see it here anywhere. These guys are an inspiration 
Wounded soldiers fight back with new scuba diving careers - Wales News - News - WalesOnline
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Wounded soldiers fight back with new scuba diving careers - Wales News - News - WalesOnline
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They were veterans of Afghanistan who turned to scuba diving to help them recover from their battlefield injuries.
Now two soldiers have turned what had been intended as recuperation into an unlikely new career underwater.
Brad Hughes, from Llandudno, was badly wounded in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
He was returning from a patrol in a fortified vehicle known as a Viking when it drove over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The huge blast ripped through the vehicle, severely injuring the 28-year-old.
Miraculously he survived, but suffered six fractures and a dislocation to his right foot and more than three years later is still receiving treatment.
As a result, he enlisted for a pioneering rehabilitation scheme run by the Army Sub Aqua Diving Association (ASADA), which trains the militarys divers.
And now Brad is the recipient of a British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) Open Water Instructors qualification, making him one of only two who have reached the unlikely achievement through the programme.
The other is Brads close friend and dive buddy, Peter Wesley, who sustained complicated fractures to both of his legs during military training.
Both men have now been discharged from the Army on medical grounds.
Their achievements have been celebrated back at the BSAC headquarters where the physical and mental healing benefits of diving have been known about for a very long time.
Mary Tetley, the clubs chief executive, said: Gaining your BSAC Open Water instructor qualification is an achievement in itself but to do so when battling a crippling injury which has had such a profound effect on your life is remarkable.
I am so pleased for Brad and Peter and they are a great inspiration to all of our members.
Diving is such a wonderful experience for so many reasons but some of the best ones have been echoed by Peter and Brad.
Brad, who was a member of the Parachute Regiment, said: The frustration, pain and worry which I was feeling after being injured took me to a low point in my life because when you have been used to being fit and active and part of a very close-knit team, and suddenly that is taken away and you feel your Army career is probably finished, it feels devastating.
But the diving gave me some confidence and everything I was worried about on the surface, disappeared when I got to the bottom. All I had to concentrate on was where I was going and where my buddy was and, being a new experience to me, it meant I was learning something new every time I got in the water.
It just allowed me to leave behind those worries I had about my injury and what the future held.
It had never even crossed my mind to try diving before. If I am honest, I was a bit wary of the idea of breathing underwater, but in the end I became really focused on taking it forward and learning.
Read More Wounded soldiers fight back with new scuba diving careers - Wales News - News - WalesOnline
Now two soldiers have turned what had been intended as recuperation into an unlikely new career underwater.
Brad Hughes, from Llandudno, was badly wounded in an explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2008.
He was returning from a patrol in a fortified vehicle known as a Viking when it drove over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The huge blast ripped through the vehicle, severely injuring the 28-year-old.
Miraculously he survived, but suffered six fractures and a dislocation to his right foot and more than three years later is still receiving treatment.
As a result, he enlisted for a pioneering rehabilitation scheme run by the Army Sub Aqua Diving Association (ASADA), which trains the militarys divers.
And now Brad is the recipient of a British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) Open Water Instructors qualification, making him one of only two who have reached the unlikely achievement through the programme.
The other is Brads close friend and dive buddy, Peter Wesley, who sustained complicated fractures to both of his legs during military training.
Both men have now been discharged from the Army on medical grounds.
Their achievements have been celebrated back at the BSAC headquarters where the physical and mental healing benefits of diving have been known about for a very long time.
Mary Tetley, the clubs chief executive, said: Gaining your BSAC Open Water instructor qualification is an achievement in itself but to do so when battling a crippling injury which has had such a profound effect on your life is remarkable.
I am so pleased for Brad and Peter and they are a great inspiration to all of our members.
Diving is such a wonderful experience for so many reasons but some of the best ones have been echoed by Peter and Brad.
Brad, who was a member of the Parachute Regiment, said: The frustration, pain and worry which I was feeling after being injured took me to a low point in my life because when you have been used to being fit and active and part of a very close-knit team, and suddenly that is taken away and you feel your Army career is probably finished, it feels devastating.
But the diving gave me some confidence and everything I was worried about on the surface, disappeared when I got to the bottom. All I had to concentrate on was where I was going and where my buddy was and, being a new experience to me, it meant I was learning something new every time I got in the water.
It just allowed me to leave behind those worries I had about my injury and what the future held.
It had never even crossed my mind to try diving before. If I am honest, I was a bit wary of the idea of breathing underwater, but in the end I became really focused on taking it forward and learning.
Read More Wounded soldiers fight back with new scuba diving careers - Wales News - News - WalesOnline
