Many efforts now exist to help veterans find normalcy in their lives after service, and that can take many different forms. One such organization takes veterans out for fishing excursions so they can spend a relaxing day at sea off the coast of Florida.
Reel Heroes Recovery helps veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder get away from everything that might be stressful to them and hit the waters off St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Tampa, according to a report from the Tampa Tribune. The organization is a 501c3, and has sponsored dozens of these trips. However, it has an eye on expansion in the near future.
"I've been paying for it out of my own pocket," Reel Heroes Recovery founder Justin Willis, just 28 years old, told the newspaper. "Chairs, poles, bait and tackle – we could use some help. I want to get this to the point where it's not just in Tampa, either. I'd like to see it all over with different chapters in other cities."
These kinds of efforts often make a huge difference for veterans who are still trying to cope with civilian life after years of service, and for that reason should be supported as much as possible.