Courtesy Photo | (Photo courtesy Laura Rodeman JBLM SRU) Spc. Kaden Cobban bonds with a horse during...... read more read more
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Going into a Soldier Recovery Unit is never part of a Soldier’s plan; it certainly wasn’t for Army Spc. Kaden Cobban of the Montanna National Guard. While on deployment in the Middle East, he suffered a TBI in an explosion. “The deployment was 18 months because I extended in theatre to stay and help the Idaho NG. I stayed another 9 months, and it was during the second half when I got hurt. My injury happened two months before I got home, so I just toughed it out.”
He already knew they were down troops who were medically evacuated and didn’t want to add to the manning issue, so he sucked it up, as he says. “I was having headaches and some vision problems. I was a little too prideful to put myself first. I saw others who were really hurt and sent to hospitals. I didn’t want to ignore my duty and didn’t want them to be left short,” said Cobban.
While he was demobilized at Fort Bliss, the doctors there referred him to the Joint Base Lewis McChord Soldier Recovery Unit for his TBI. “My vision today is slightly better. When I got to the TBI clinic here at JBLM, I was doing a lot of vision therapy. I got a new prescription, too, so it's stabilized,” said the seven-year Infantryman.
Not knowing anything about what a Soldier Recovery Unit was about, Cobban, like most, had a preconceived notion that was just conjecture. “I thought it was gonna be more like people with missing limbs from deployments and a very somber and depressing place. It was completely different than I expected.”
The vast amount of therapy offered to every Soldier was mind-blowing to Cobban. “I'm grateful for all the treatment they gave me. All the medical issues I had were gonna be hard to take care of if I went home to Montanna as a guardsman,” said a relieved Cobban.
“My care team was great. They helped with everything. It was a bit of a culture shock because we tend to suck it up on active duty, especially in infantry. It was like, unless you're dying with a loss of life, limb, or eyesight, you’re not going to sick call. Here in the SRU, one of my squad leaders asked me, ‘What do you need me to do,’ and I was like, nah, I’m good, and he said, ‘Dude, I am here to work for you, so come on and let me help you.’”
Along with physical and occupational therapy, Cobban participated in horse therapy. To say it changed his life is an understatement. “It was amazing to build trust with the horses. I didn’t think anything like this program would be offered. I am so glad it was offered to me. It was all about connecting to the horse, learning to breathe, and building trust. Getting the little head hug from the horse made my heart happy,” said Cobban, who took to working with horses like a duck in the water.
He will medically retire from the Army and completely switch careers when he returns home with the help of his Recovery Care Coordinator. “My RCC Josh hooked me up with contacts for other programs. After my moving experience with the horses, he connected me with an equine therapy person who is at a college two hours from my home and helps people work in this field, and that’s what I want to do now.”
If you had told Kaden Cobban seven years ago that he would be out of uniform and working with horses to help people, he wouldn’t have believed it. But he says he sincerely believes in the program that helped him get to where he is now. “I couldn’t imagine having to recover on my own AND do my appointments AND my civilian job; this was a great opportunity.”
| Date Taken: | 01.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.16.2025 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 489181 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Therapy in the SRU changes a Soldier’s path in life, by MaryTherese Griffin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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