Woodcarvers giving walking canes to disabled soldiers national By FRED BROWN Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The brave young men and women at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, critically wounded in America's current conflicts, are being given some hope and help through a group of woodcarvers in East Tennessee.
The Operation Eagle Head Presentation Canes project by the Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers is providing a walking cane for any post-9/11 soldier who has lost a leg.
And, there are a great many who need the canes. From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, America has more than 24,000 wounded, with more than 11,000 wounded so severely that they are unable to return to duty.
In all cases, says John Freels, a spokesman and charter member of the organization, the canes are free, and all are carved by hand. Many of the canes are the work of veterans in the 85-member, 31-year-old organization. Like Vietnam veterans Larry Nowell, a retired master chief, and former Marine Everett "Smitty" Smith.
Their canes hold special significance.
"This is from the heart," says Smith. "This is not about the pocketbook. Nothing is too good for our veterans."
About two years ago, woodcarvers in Tulsa, Okla., at the encouragement of Jack Nitz of the Eastern Oklahoma Woodcarvers, asked carvers nationwide to provide walking canes free of charge for post-9/11 veterans. That call got the program started, and since then, carvers have been working to give wounded bodies a walking friend.
Each cane, some intricately carved, many with Purple Hearts and American flag insignias, has a bold American bald-eagle head. Canes come in different designs, left up to the individual carver. But all of them have the eagle head.
Already, the Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers have provided five canes for presentation and are in the process of carving four more for Marines of Delta Co. 4th Combat Engineers of Knoxville, Tenn., when they return home from duty in Iraq.
Marines scheduled to receive the hand-carved canes are Cpl. Jorge Zapata, Sgt. Andrew Simmons, Cpl. Gregory Warren and Lance Cpl. Michael Harturg.
Cpl. Bradley Walker, of White Pine, Tenn., also of Delta Company, was given a cane in March carved by Freels. Recently, President Bush met Walker, who lost both legs when an improvised explosive device slammed into his Humvee. That explosion also injured Zapata.
In February, club founder Jim Wilsford's cane was given to Spec 4 Sue Downs of Tazewell, Tenn. She lost both legs while on duty in Afghanistan with the
230th Military Police Company. That was the club's first donated cane.Ann and Ted Nettles, members of the Patriot Guard Riders of Mount Airy, Md., receive canes carved by the Smoky Mountain organization and present them to the soldiers who are still at Walter Reed. In all, the Smoky Mountain carvers have made 11 canes that have either been given to soldiers or are waiting to be presented.
Just recently, the Dixie Handle Co. of Waynesboro, Tenn., began supplying ash sticks for the carvers. And a group known as the Soldiers' Angels of Texas is paying for the mailing costs. The group's Web site is
Our walking wounded, say the woodcarvers, have a friend. It's called the American eagle cane.
The War Ho's can now contribute instead of drooling over the carnage.