100 U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020 WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM
SERVICE-DISABLED Veterans
LIFEWATERS
LifeWaters adapative Dive in Bonaire, Honduras 2019, takes a team to load and unload our adaptive divers on dive boats.
LifeWaters offers different services depending on your needs, desires, and skill level. The organization believes that everyone can experience the beauty, serenity, and joy that diving can provide-whether thats through amputee scuba diving, disabled veteran scuba diving, or other scuba diving programs. Bill Chase is an Air Force Vietnam-era veteran who served from 1973-1978. While stationed in Hawaii, he learned to dive and then later became a certified diver. In 2016, after a successful engineering career, Chase was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease. While at a VA therapy appointment, the therapist mentioned scuba diving, and then referred Chase to LifeWaters.
Forced Retirement Opens New Door
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Chase was forced to retire after the diagnosis and soon sought assistance from Paralyzed Veterans of America for help in filing claims for VA benefits and support at the St. Louis VA. Approximately 700 to 900 veterans with ALS are served annually by PVA to obtain their VA healthcare benefits. I am always excited to be involved in helping a Veterans bucket list wish come true! said PVA Vice President and LifeWaters Advanced Scuba Diver, Hack Albertson. It was an absolute honor to meet and dive with Bill Chase and his family. Albertson credits LifeWaters adaptive scuba training with allowing him to dive in over 200 locations around the world. I love being a member of LifeWa- ters and [being] an Advanced Scuba Diver. I was even blessed to dive Pearl Harbor on Decem- ber 7th while conducting an oil study for the U.S. National Park Service. I can never thank Life- Waters enough for the oppor-
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