Ft. Bliss Offers Soldiers Unconventional Method To Relieve Stress
Fort Bliss is looking for a new, fun way to help soldiers returning from overseas overcome stress. So it’s no surprise officials turned to enthusiasts of one of El Paso’s popular pastimes, cycling. Now, soldiers can learn the outdoor sport as part of the nationwide Warrior Re-entry Program.
“We want to introduce them to the sport of mountain biking,” said Charles Lauser, a mountain biker and creator of Green Leaf Pedicabs, the human-fueled taxi company based in Downtown El Paso.
Lauser is the instructor for the mountain bike course exclusively for soldiers recently back from battle. He lent bikes to the dozen who showed up for the class, held near Chuck Heinrich Park in Northeast El Paso.
“Honestly, I haven’t rode a bike since I was like, 10,” said Spc. Holly Stovall, after strapping on her safety helmet. “But it’s pretty easy. You just remember right away.”
The course started off with a quick run-through of how to handle downhill riding on dirt. Lauser swiftly maneuvered his bike through the orange cones set up in a sloping curve. “Make sure you gain enough speed going into it,” he called out to the soldiers who cautiously followed his man-made bike trail.
The course may seem like all fun, but the deeper goal is to help these soldiers switch gears mentally, from fighting on the front lines to returning to civilian life.
“We’re just trying to give an outlet to them,” said John Limon, the outdoor recreational specialist at Ft. Bliss. “You don’t necessarily have to be in a firefight or a nasty battle to have stress. You can do other jobs and come home and that still is there.”
A number of soldiers who have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan have found themselves on the wrong side of the law in the months after their return to Ft. Bliss. The most prominent example is that of Edison Bayas, the soldier convicted in 2009 in the drunk driving death of Valerie Talamantes, 19. Bayas had said he was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was undergoing a flashback to his time in war when he slammed into her car at a red light on Montana and Hawkins on December 29, 2007.
Both Limon and Lauser agree that relieving the stress is important and necessary — and it’s all about finding a way to do it that won’t affect those surrounding them.
“They don’t always have to go out to a bar to have a good time,” said Lauser. “They can come out to the trails and experience a healthy sport.”
The warrior reentry program is not mandated by post officials. Limon and Lauser hope enough soldiers sign up for the mountain biking course to continue it in years to come.
