Veterans find rowing disarming
Time on Charles is all about solace
When Matt Williams was an infantryman in Iraq, each sunrise brought a devastating anxiety.
“We used to do the death walk every day at 6 a.m. looking for IEDs [improvised explosive devices],’’ the Billerica native recalled. “Our company alone found 973. One split my vehicle in half.’’
So it’s a joy for him now to paddle along the Charles, where a floating branch, a disoriented goose, or an errant coxswain, is the most hazardous object.
“It’s calm,’’ said Williams. “Very therapeutic.’’
Among the novices of all ages who turn up at Community Rowing Inc.’s Harry Parker Boathouse in Brighton is a diverse group of veterans of both genders. Some served in Iraq and are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders. Others attend Bunker Hill Community College on the GI Bill.
What they’ve found on the water is both what they loved and what they lacked in the military.
“One of the biggest benefits of rowing is the camaraderie and the tranquility,’’ said Lindsey Kirchhoff, a Missouri native who is serving in the Air Force and attending graduate school in the area.
CRI, whose motto is “Rowing For All,’’ has been welcoming neophytes to the river for a quarter-century and from the beginning was a leader in adaptive rowing for people with various disabilities. Veterans are merely the newest wave of curious who become converts.
“CRI is doing an outstanding job of supporting veterans,’’ said Kirchhoff. “It’s incredible what they’re doing. It’s such a productive way to show appreciation.’’
None of the veterans who come for the programs conducted by coaches Patrick Carpenter and John Sisk ever shoved off a dock until they turned up at the boathouse. Kirchhoff was a competitive college swimmer. Williams played football and basketball. Paul McEuen will be running track and cross-country at UMass-Boston. Kevin Cadieux played baseball.
What they discovered is that moving an unstable boat along a lumpy river is tipsy business, especially for a rookie.
“It’s a little bit of a challenge,’’ said the 49-year-old Cadieux, who lives in Lowell and, like Williams, is affiliated with the Veterans Administration facility in Bedford. “It’s not like you’re rowing and you’re sightseeing. You have to pay attention or you can have an unexpected swim.’’
Krystal McEuen, Paul’s sister and a fellow Iraq veteran, nearly went over on her first outing.
“It scared me,’’ she said. “I crabbed, and I thought I was going to fall out.’’
While flipping is an inevitable rite of passage for rowers, the lure of the river usually proves irresistible.
“A lot of guys end up in the water,’’ said Joe Grimard, a recreational therapist for the Bedford VA. “But they enjoy it anyway.’’
For Gabriel Sanchez, a soldier who was stationed at Fort Leavenworth and now attends Bunker Hill, just coming to the Charles is a treat.
“Having served in Kansas,’’ he said, “I’m just happy to be on the water.’’
For the veterans who are undergoing therapy for combat-related injuries and issues, the boathouse provides a welcome getaway, if only for a few hours a week.
“Just getting outside, getting back to a physical activity,’’ said Grimard, a Navy veteran. “They can be at the VA for several months, so it’s nice to come here and not have bricks and ID tags around them.’’
The Bunker Hill students row twice a week, arriving at the boathouse around 5 a.m.
“You’re finishing in the dark,’’ said Calder Reardon, a CRI volunteer who learned to row there. “You’re looking at the Orion constellation.’’
Yet there’s an undeniable pleasure to be gliding along the river while the cities on either side still are asleep.
“Iraq was go-go-go and it was 24/7,’’ said Paul McEuen, an Army sergeant who served two tours there as well as one in Kosovo. “Here you have a job but it’s very serene. Everything is flowing evenly.’’
The Zen quality of rowing, the delicate but essential balance between force and fluidity, is a novelty for veterans accustomed to all-out action and adrenaline.
“The first time out, they wanted to shred it,’’ said Carpenter, who also coaches the combined Arlington-Belmont high school boys’ program. “Every time the oar went in the water, it was full pressure.’’
Dialing it down was a new concept for veterans, but they’ve made the adjustment.
“We’re so adaptable,’’ said Paul McEuen. “The military has taught us to go with the flow.’’
If only six people turn up for a workout, those present will recruit a couple more for an eight. If there only are four, they’ll row in a four.
The skills and values that McEuen and his seatmates learned in uniform have translated well to a sport that is defined by both regimentation and unpredictability.
“Their discipline,’’ said Carpenter. “Their ability to learn. Their ability to take constructive criticism. Their ability to solve problems. Their competitiveness. They want to be the best.’’
What the veterans enjoy, besides the pleasure that comes with messing around in boats and the sense of achievement of getting one moving smoothly after beginning awkwardly, is the comfortable familiarity of a group endeavor.
“I heard one young man say, ‘I’m just happy to be in the community,’ ’’ said Reardon.
Community Rowing, which prides itself on being inclusive, has ample dock space for newcomers who are accustomed to a milieu of sand and rock as well as plenty of support and advice from coaches and volunteers.
“These guys are great,’’ said Cadieux. “Every one of them has gone the extra mile.’’
The boathouse, which is named for the legendary Harvard coach and Olympic oarsman who also was a veteran, is happily free of camouflage and the stressful uncertainties of military life.
“You’re rowing in a whole different world,’’ said Williams. “You’re on a different planet. You don’t feel restricted. You’re out there by yourself.’’
John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com. 
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