Navy veteran and avid outdoorsman Chester Evitt, desperately wanted to regain the ability to shoot a bow and arrow, an activity he enjoyed before injuries robbed him of the use of his left arm.
But thanks to a group of dedicated engineering students from Trine University in Angola, Indiana, Evitt is back to doing what he loves. The students spent months perfecting an adaptive design to allow the Gulf War veteran to properly use his bow.
Evitt’s first injury occurred in the Navy when he suffered a gunshot wound to his arm. Three years ago, another injury made mobility in that arm almost non-existent.
“Because I’ve lost most of the use of my left arm, I can’t hold anything in it. I can’t shoot my bow,” Evitt told WPTA in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Connecting with Students
Perplexed and frustrated, Evitt confided in his primary care physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs that he could no longer use his prized bow. From that initial talk, the VA was able to connect Evitt with an engineering team at Trine. Through Project S.E.R.V.E, the students jumped into the opportunity to help a veteran.
The project’s goal is to “improve the lives of veterans and emergency responders living with injuries or disabling conditions through student-led engineering projects,” according to its website.
One problem though – Evitt and the students lived about 1,500 miles apart. So, Evitt, in Montana, and students Ava Dobbins, Andrea Mendoza, Copper Clark and Jake Welker in Indiana, worked together virtually for several months. Evitt finally got to meet the Trine students in person last week at Angola’s Thunder Lakes Gund Ammo and Archery.
Making the Device Just Right
The students developed a few different designs until deciding to go with a 3D-printed model that can attach to Evitt’s back to support the bow.
“It really needs to just hold it up for him and kind of be that skeleton that he can’t,” Welker said.
For Welker and his design partners, helping a disabled veteran was a rewarding experience.
“The military runs very deep in my family, like most people from the Midwest, and it means a lot to me,” he said.
Once he met the students, it was time for Evitt to test out his new adaptive aid. He was not disappointed. Evitt called the device life changing.
“Oh my goodness,” Evitt said. “They’re giving me back something that was took from me.”
Not only did Evitt gain the use of his bow again, but he also developed several new friendships with the Trinity students.
“As a father that’s raised four kids, I’d be proud to call any one of them my own,” he said. “With all the negativity going on in the world, here’s a prime example of our future.”
The student engineers have two months to finish adjustments to the device before presenting it to a panel at Trine. After the project is completed, Evitt plans to return to Montana with the device and is excited to use it in the future. A passion for archery, ignited within him at just eight years old, can finally be reclaimed.
