There’s an old saying that goes, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
About 12 years ago, Eric Edmundson had a whole boat-load of lemons dumped on him and he took that admonition to heart.
He not only has made lemonade, but has done a lot more with the hand he was dealt.
Edmundson was an Army sergeant on patrol in Iraq on October 2, 2005 when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated under the Stryker vehicle in which he was riding.
He survived the blast but received severe injuries to his abdomen and legs.
Even more serious, while waiting to be evacuated, Edmundson’s heart stopped.
Emergency action was taken but, according to reports from others who were there, he had no pulse for about 30 minutes.
Because of that, he suffered anoxic brain damage.
Sgt. Edmundson was airlifted to Germany for initial treatment and, later, to the United States.
Military and VA doctors advised his parents, Ed and Beth, that he would remain in a “vegetative state” permanently and recommended moving Eric to a nursing home.
His parents refused to accept that diagnosis, however, and eventually succeeded in having him admitted to the Rehabilitative Institute of Chicago (RIC).
There, he began a long and often painful rehabilitation program.
The results were amazing. After a couple of years of hard work, dedication, perseverance, and The Almighty’s intervention, Edmundson had regained some use of his hands, could move about with a specially-equipped wheelchair and even rise and walk a little with the help of others.
Most important, it was realized that his cognitive skills were unimpaired and, even though he couldn’t talk as before the injury, he understood others perfectly and could communicate using computerized devices.
Today, Retired Sgt. Edmundson lives in the community of Fairfield Harbour with his wife, Stephanie and two children, Gracie (13) and Hunter (7).
Displaying a spirit that no bomb could destroy he continues life as a husband, father and, incredibly, an avid outdoorsman.
Ed Edmundson said recently that Eric began fishing in their native Iowa when he was about five years old and was going hunting for ducks and upland birds shortly after.
When he enlisted in the Army, he was delighted to be assigned to a base in Alaska where he planned all kinds of outings.
A side trip to the Middle East interrupted things, though, and it was there that all those lemons came crashing down.
After establishing life in eastern North Carolina, Edmundson’s next order of business was to try and continue his dream of enjoying the outdoors.
With the help of his parents, friends and volunteers with the Wounded Warriors Program, he has done just that.
One of the things Eric wanted to do more of before his injury was big game hunting. He has done that and in a big way.
In 2011, Eric and his parents embarked on an adventure of epic proportions.
They traveled over 9,000 miles in three months in pursuit of what hunters call a “Grand Slam.”
With the assistance of Wounded Warrior groups, individuals, guides and others along the way, Eric was able to harvest a large alligator (FL.), whitetail deer (TX.), bison (MO.), elk (CO.), ram (IA.) antelope (MT), bear (ID.) and blacktail deer (WY.)
Traveling in a truck, towing a trailer loaded with a Polaris all-terrain vehicle, the Edmundsons began their trek.
The ATV is a specially-equipped model with a joystick-controlled gun mount and a camera to aim though.
Other controls let Ed help Eric if the need arose. But rarely did the retired sergeant need extra help, beyond just getting to the hunting site and setting up.
Eric’s dad said the trip was an incredible experience for all of them and a real morale booster for other Wounded Warriors they met along the way.
Expanding his horizons even more, literally as well as figuratively, Eric went on a safari to Africa a few years later.
There he bagged a number of exotic game animals, including a zebra and a wildebeest, all under wild, fair-chase conditions.
Mounts of those animals hang in the Edmondson house, along with big game, a large tom turkey and fish harvested on this continent.
Back home in Fairfield Harbor, Eric Edmondson has taken on another challenge that, in some respects, is as daunting as his outdoor adventures.
Beth Edmondson said her son had always had an artistic bent and while he was stationed in Alaska did a good bit of photography that ended up being displayed in various venues.
In recent years, he has taken a similar but slightly different path.
With the help of a friend and neighbor, Jane Taylor, Eric has honed his skills as a painter.
With a device that helps him hold a brush, he has used his talent for color, scale and composition to create beautiful images, usually of outdoor subjects.
Edmondson’s most recent project was a painting in acrylics of the New Bern skyline, looking from the Neuse River.
Anyone who has ever been on the river in the early evening will recognize the town’s iconic church steeples and other features.
They will sense the tranquility that encompasses the historic town as the sun dips below the horizon and dusk envelopes its quiet streets.
The painting represents more than an outstanding artistic endeavor, however.
It is one way that Eric Edmundson feels he can give back to some folks who have been instrumental in his quest to live life to the fullest in spite of his injuries.
Prints of the New Bern skyline painting have been produced and are available for purchase with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Fairfield Harbour Fishing Club’s Wounded Warrior Project.
Each year the FFHFC charters a head boat and takes a large group from the Wounded Warrior battalion at Camp Lejeune fishing.
Afterward, they have a picnic for the guests of honor and those club members who join them, and present prizes for the largest and most fish caught.
Throughout, there is a good bit of socializing and some swapping of tales among those who have served in the military in decades pasts and those who recently returned from battle.
There is no cost for the Wounded Warriors, just a way to say “thank you” for the sacrifices they and their families have made, and to help them enjoy life after “being given some lemons.”
Prints of Eric Edmundson’s New Bern skyline painting can be purchased for $25 at PIC Frame and Gallery, located at 3601 Trent Road in New Bern (across from the Board of Education). More information is available at the shop or by phone at 252-633-4054
Ed Wall can be contacted at edwall@embarqmail.com or 252-671- 3207. His website is edwalloutdoors.com