YOUNG COMPLETES EXPEDITION FOR DISABLED VETERANS By Rob Marsh Photos courtesy of Micah Baird/No Barriers
Army and U.S. Coast Guard veteran Dave Young paused just a moment to hold back a tear as he recalled hiking through the mountains of Colorado. “During one of the expedition’s hikes, we followed a trail that led to an incredibly beautiful valley,” he said. “My fellow veterans and I just sat there, almost speechless.”
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For Young, this wasn’t an ordinary hiking trip in the Colorado wilderness. Young was one of a dozen former military men and women selected to participate in the No Barriers Warriors program. No Barriers Warriors is a five-day, all-expenses-paid expedition in the Red Feather Lakes region of Colorado for veterans with disabilities. Sponsored by CoBank, the program is designed to help veterans with disabilities transform their lives through curriculum-based experiences in challenging environments.
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Young, along with a few other veterans from the greater Grand Traverse area, was nominated by Cherryland and selected by CoBank to participate in the expedition in 2019. “The whole experience was wonderful,” said Young. “I was delighted that I was able to go.” In his youth, Young graduated from the Army ROTC program at Western Michigan University. He later served in Germany for two years, notably during the construction of the Berlin Wall. When he returned home, he garnered an interest in aviation, serving as an air observer in the National Guard. He later worked as a helicopter pilot, flying men and equipment to and from offshore drilling locations, before joining the U.S. Coast Guard. Today, at the age of 83, Young is one of the oldest veterans to have participated in the program. It was this fact that, upon arriving at basecamp, concerned him a little. “I was old enough to be the grandfather of everyone there,” he chuckled. Young was familiar with the rigors of mountainous excursions. In fact, shortly after finishing his service in Germany, Young climbed the Matterhorn, the famous mountain of the Alps, whose summit is one of the highest in Europe. “I really pushed myself on that climb,” he explained. “And I walked away from that experience thinking, ‘If I can do