Military veterans help fellow veterans through paddling
Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko adding its first two canoes through a $73,000 grant
KAHULUI — With each stroke in the canoe through the sea, Vietnam veteran and longtime paddler Wendall DeVera finds solace.
Saying how much the Hawaiian ocean sport has been a positive and helpful experience for him over the years, DeVera spearheaded efforts recently to bring veterans and community members together through outrigger canoe paddling.
“The mental health benefits is the togetherness that we feel when we’re in the canoe and the togetherness that we feel from veterans that passed, that aren’t here anymore, and it’s an appreciation of our surroundings,” said DeVera, president of Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko, a grassroots organization designed to help military combat veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorders. “Every time we go out, maybe the sun is coming up on Haleakala or the sun is setting on the west side, everyone has an appreciation for it, and being able to be out there with no pressures and kind of, like, enjoying each other’s company without having to say so.”
Through a Dorcy Hawaiian Foundation grant and fiscal sponsor Academy of Hawaiian Music, Culture and the Arts, Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko received nearly $73,000 to cover the cost of two six-man outrigger canoes, trailer, paddles, steering blades and flotation devices. The academy is serving as the fiscal sponsor to accept funding for Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko until it becomes an official nonprofit.
With canoe paddling, veterans have the opportunity to participate in a traditional Hawaiian sport and heal through a familiar united brotherhood, self-reflection, comradery, physical activity, culture and connection with nature, he said.
A blessing of the first canoe that drew around 50 people took place early Friday morning at Bullyland, between Sugar Beach Resort and Maui Canoe Club, where the canoe will be housed. The second canoe, when it arrives, is set to rest at Kahului Harbor at Hawaiian Canoe Club.
“I’m still kind of in shock about it,” DeVera said on Sunday afternoon with a big smile on his face. “Even at the blessing, I was shaking my head thinking ‘I can’t believe this is really happening, this is so cool.’ ”
During the blessing, Maui Vet Center director and veteran Roger Johnston said it best when he stated that this is “not about one person, it’s about veterans helping veterans,” including older veterans helping younger ones or current soldiers, DeVera recalled.
With the support of the Maui Vet Center and counselors/therapists, Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko, which means “brave older warriors,” is working to expand a paddling program for veterans, the first of its kind in Maui County.
There are currently 14 combat veterans from the Maui Vet Center that paddle for its therapeutic qualities, but the center does not own outriggers — since 2020, the center would collaborate with canoe clubs, like Kihei, in borrowing boats on Monday and Friday mornings.
Established in the mid1980s, the Maui Vet Center assists combat veterans, military sexual trauma victims, families dealing with bereavement and families adjusting back to civilian life after a military or traumatic experience, as well as veterans with PTSD, depression, marriage counseling and Multisystemic Therapy — a home family counseling program.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are nearly 9,000 military veterans in Maui County as of 2021.
DeVera is a veteran of 53 years and a paddler for over 40 years, including his current membership on Hawaiian Canoe Club’s men’s 70 crew, but it wasn’t until about five years ago that he realized how much of a positive impact paddling and the paddling community has on his mental health and mitigating lingering effects of PTSD.
“I’ve become calmer. I just stroke the canoe, so I don’t talk at all,” he said. “I’m still competitive, but paddling has calmed my mind. We’re not out there to win races, but whenever we get towards the end of a workout, the guys just want to go faster, so it’s about getting the adrenaline out.
“That’s what it’s done for me.”
After serving in combat, military veterans need to readjust back to civilian life with the right physical, mental and emotional support — three components DeVera feels can be achieved through the paddling program.
As part of the program, veterans will have the opportunity to load and unload canoes, use pre-paddling stretching techniques, gain insights on proper equipment usage, learn the rationale for six-man canoe seat assignments, participate in open-ocean canoe paddling and do post-practice “cool down” comradery sessions, according to the grant proposal.
They will also be introduced to the culture of Hawaiian outrigger paddling, such as the history, the canoe materials and construction, vocabulary and other elements.
On Sunday, DeVera explained how, in Hawaiian history, warriors traveled together via outrigger canoes to battle, perhaps experiences that veterans can relate to their combat service.
Thus, working together and building trust to cross the open ocean or complete a route are the same elements and values that inspired Pu‘ali Koa
Kahiko, he said.
Through community support and acceptance, there will be a greater respect for veterans in and out of the water.
“The purpose of this whole program is to allow veterans on different parts of the island to paddle,” he said. “It’s just to get more veterans — veterans helping veterans is what it is.”
With one official Pu‘ali Koa Kahiko canoe ready to go and another on the way, DeVera’s dream is becoming reality. He envisions expanding the program to host all veterans from other locations on Maui, such as Kahului, Paia, Lahaina and Kaanapali.
The trailer will be used when the Maui Vet Center does outreach in East Maui and West Maui.
There’s no set schedule yet, though members can collaborate and pick days that are conducive for veterans to join. He also hopes this serves as an example of a viable program for other islands to incorporate into their communities.
“The expectation is to have more participation, but it’s to have them have fun and to enjoy it and know that it’s just to relax,” he added.
DeVera said that bringing this program to fruition would not have been possible without community efforts and sponsors like Outrigger Zone; TriPaddle Maui; Maui Vet Center; Wayne Hong of Academy of Hawaiian Music, Culture and the Arts; Bill Menich; and many others.
For more information about the paddling program or to participate, call the Maui Vet Center at (808) 242-8557.
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