Calling in Reinforcements

For many years, Freedom Alliance has sought to find our country’s warriors who despite dutifully serving on multiple deployments in harm’s way, may be reluctant to sign up for a program that would benefit them.  The winning combination is when we find a key, trusted veteran who is well-networked in a specialized community – and we found that when we met Kyle Herman.

Kyle faithfully served as a Combat Controller in the United States Air Force.  The tight-knit community isn’t in the spotlight like other special operations forces, but they are indispensable on the battlefield as they are the ones who communicate with air assets that can greatly affect the outcome when our forces are in trouble. 

In 2023, Kyle was introduced to Freedom Alliance and attended the Offshore Experience program in Costa Rica.  The program made such a profound impact on him that he volunteered to recruit others from the Air Force special operations community and encourage them to apply.  Last year, Kyle successfully recruited eight other servicemen to attend our program, and this year brought another five.  His enthusiasm for our work goes beyond simply indulging in the high-adventure activities; he encourages others in sharing the burdens that come from a career of warriorhood.

In March, Kyle joined two other combat controllers, two pararescuemen, and a TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) in Costa Rica for Freedom Alliance’s Offshore Experience program.

As always, the lodging for the men was donated by those wishing to bless our warriors with a tangible gift.  For their week in Costa Rica, the men stayed in a Veranda condo at the resort donated by Gerald & Virginia Lindholm while the others stayed in the villa of Mike Hardy in the Forest Estates community of the resort.  The accommodations alone were impressive, but Freedom Alliance had much more in store…

Their first day in Costa Rica began with a hike to Catarata Manantial de Augua Viva, which translates into “Living Water Spring Waterfall”.  Although most of the group were retired or out of the military, their pace down the steep trail to the waterfall was conducted in record time, leaving their Freedom Alliance coordinator barely able to keep up.  It was apparent that their fitness level had not suffered.  At the bottom of the waterfall, they broke out their unit flags and took photos before moving further down to one of the swimming holes. 

That night we joined a few of our supporters for dinner at a local restaurant, hosted by Andy Shapiro.  In fact, throughout the week, Gerald & Virginia Lindholm joined for every dinner to pick-up the tab and express their gratitude for these men who answered our country’s call to duty.  Butch Kross, another supporter, snuck in for breakfast one morning and covered our breakfast bill.  And Los Sueños Resort gives us deep discounts for all our meals to ensure our donor dollars go farther.  Grupo Montecristo (formerly “Gato Gordo”) once again donated golf carts so the group could easily maneuver through the resort.

Unique to this group, Freedom Alliance scheduled three fishing days with some of the top competitors in the marina: Billfisher, Grand Slam, and Miss AC.  These men could truly appreciate the technical skill and teamwork it takes to be on top of the leaderboard.

On their first day, we split the group – three veterans fishing with Grand Slam, and three fishing with Miss AC.  Wallis Higginbotham, owner of Grand Slam, has donated two days of fishing each year. Chris Perry of Virginia donated his boat, Miss AC, this year – they were the 2024 Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown Tournament Series Champions.  The fish were plentiful and Captain Rob Mahoney helped to secure a memorable day of 20 sailfish and a day-ending marlin for the final catch.

The second day, Wallis invited the whole group onboard Grand Slam where on the previous day, the troops were hooking their own fish – unlike most trips where a deckhand hooks the fish and the guests reel them in.  Wallis had Anetik Apparel shirts made especially for this group with Freeodm Alliance logo on the front and his boat’s line art on the back.  Hook Optics donated pairs of polarized sunglasses for the group, too.  So, whether we caught fish or not, we looked the part! 

We had decided to hunt for tuna, and although we spotted a few pods, the fish were tight-lipped and refused to bite anything other than live bait.  Captain Dave Grubbs decided to move back to fishing for billfish and we scored a healthy 12 sails by the end of the day – with plenty more bites, enough to continue allowing the troops to learn how to hook their own. 

On their final day, we were with the 64’ yacht “Billfisher” with Captain Noah McVicker at the helm.  At that time, Billfisher was a contender for the tournament series champions (and actually became the series champ a couple weeks later!).  Donated by John & Judy Duffie of Maryland, the day was exactly what you would expect from this boat: catching 18 sails with all the troops hooking their own fish.  Kyle and one of the PJs even were shown how to wire the fish for a safe release! 

Speaking of releases – Freedom Alliance unveiled new artwork donated by marine wildlife artist Steve Goione.  The artwork was displayed on the hooded Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel shirts given to the troops for their third day of fishing.  The piece captures the essence of the program with a sport fishing yacht, flying an American flag, coming through the spray of a sailfish over the map of Costa Rica…with a duo of scarlet macaws flying in the corner.  It’s a great looking shirt, but also a great souvenir!

As they disembarked from Billfisher, the men were greeted by the day’s benefactors, Judy and John Duffie who kindly accepted the mens’ expressions of gratitude while offering their own for the service and hardships these men endured.

That evening, Gerald & Virginia hosted the final dinner at a beachfront restaurant where the men ordered fresh seafood.  A highlight was when a mariachi band entered the restaurant and to the chagrin of those at the table, one of the veterans paid them to play a few songs…trumpet blaring, voices raised, and guitars clanging…what a night.  Before leaving the restaurant, the men presented Gerald & Virginia with their unit flag among compliments and sincere words of their gratitude.

Several of the participants left a review on Greatnonprofits.org, including:

“Freedom Alliance has created an amazing experience for combat veterans to relax and truly unwind. Every detail from travel plans, to fishing and dinners were well thought out and made the trip even more enjoyable. It was also great hanging out with the donors, getting to know them and thank them in person. They are true patriots! This was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.”

“Freedom Alliance has created the perfect environment for healing, relaxation, and team bonding with The Offshore Experience in Los Sueños Resort in Costa Rica. They have the entire trip coordinated flawlessly from the accommodations to fishing to dinner with the gracious donors. It was an incredible experience to mix some of the worlds most elite veterans with the worlds most elite fishing teams. Unforgettable experience. Thank you Freedom Alliance!”

“Where does one even begin to express the gratitude to such great people and for Freedom Alliance. Hands down one of the best experiences of my life. Friendships brought together, friendships made and purpose built. I can’t thank everyone part of this organization enough.”