Courage, Camaraderie, and Costa Rica

Five combat veterans traveled from various home States in America to join Freedom Alliance in Costa Rica for the Offshore Experience program.

Among these warriors were two Marines and three soldiers.  The Marines, Tyler and Steve, traveled from North Carolina.  Tyler had served five years as a mortarman with 2d Battalion, 6^th Marines and fought in the Battle of Marjah in Afghanistan in 2011-12.  Steve served eight years in the Marine Corps infantry and fought on two deployments to Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004.

The soldiers traveled from Louisiana and Texas.  JD and Jake both served with the 10^th Mountain division and fought in Afghanistan.  JD was wounded in 2008 when he stepped on an IED that resulted in the ampuatation of his right leg and was medically retired in 2010.  Jake deployed three times to Afghanistan and on his third deployment was shot, his helmet saving his life.  Nick was a Cavalry Scout and deployed to Iraq twice – in 2003-04 and again in 2006 where he was wounded by an IED blast that lacerated his face.

Los Sueños Resort and Marina was their destination for the week’s event – an 1100-acre ocean-front resort with planned communities spread throughout.  The guests were invited into condos donated by grateful Americans Gerald & Virginia Lindholm, David & Fayebeth Ball, and Bob and Alicia Hagadorn.  Their transportation was provided by Montecristo Golf Cart Rentals – a company owned by the Durman family of Costa Rica who has supported our events from the beginning.  All set for the week, Freedom Alliance gifted the men with two new shirts (brands of Tunaskin and Anetik with artwork donated by Steve Goione) for fishing and a pair of Hook Optics sunglasses.  The sunglasses are donated by the owners of Hook Optics, Niki and Bob Pino – true patriots who are sweeping the fishing community by storm with their polarized lenses and stylish frames.  We were set for a fantastic week!

Their first excursion in Costa Rica was Jose’s Crocodile River Tour where the troops got to get face-to-face with the wildlife of the Tarcoles River, including enormous crocodiles.  Steve, whose family is from the bayous of Louisiana, along with JD and Paul who live in Louisiana were especially enthralled with these big crocs.  The troops also were able to basilisk lizards, cranes, hawks, frigates, and other wildlife…but our group was lucky enough to find the largest crocodile in that section, which the tour guides had named “Osama Bin Laden” because of his ability to evade detection.

After lunch, we began the day diving into the programmatic material of the Offshore Experience – a seven-session workbook that covers warrior identity, values, moral injury, and strategies for carrying the burdens of combat.  The material was created with the help of Dr Ed Tick, a psychotherapist who has worked with veterans for over 40 years.  The men would participate in these group sessions throughout the week.

The first day on the water was with Raging Bull, a 37-ft Viking Billfisher donated by John Gallagher of New Jersey.  The men walked into the 200-slip marina that is considered one of the finest in the world, where the crew of Raging Bull invited the men onboard.  Captain Macky knew the fishing reports were slow, so we took a shot by going 70 miles out from the resort.  Although the day was slow, we landed a 65-lb yellowfin tuna that all the veterans took turns reeling in – and it was quite the fight!  Tyler also released a sail and so our day was complete.  We took some of the tuna back to Bambu, the sushi restaurant in resort’s Marina Village where an enormous boat of sushi was prepared for the men.

The next day, we doubled our boat size thanks to William Mahaffey and Danny Esterline who donated their 76-ft Viking “Tueseas”.  Captain Jeremy Trujillo greeted the men and introduced his crew.  He cautioned that the fishing reports weren’t typical Costa Rica expectations, and to enjoy the boat as we searched the seas for life.  The troops confiscated the Bluetooth audio system and enjoyed a day in the overcast weather, listening to tunes.  We got bit by a few bonita fish and finally landed a yellowfin tuna towards the end of the day.  The men were still excited, knowing we would eat our catch again.  This time, though, we took the tuna to the Hook Up Restaurant to watch the sunset and enjoy the chef’s preparations of the tuna in three-ways – sashimi, blackened, and seared. 

On their final day in Costa Rica, we headed to Vista Los Sueños Adventure Park (about 5 kilometers away) for an ATV adventure!  Now that Costa Rica had entered it’s rainy season – which means beautiful morning and afternoon showers – the trails were perfect for slinging mud and crashing through the creek beds.  We spent some time at a swimming hole where several of the troops jumped from a platform into the cold water. 

We had lunch at Al Fresco’s Beach Club and then headed back into one of the condos to finish our sessions.  These sessions accomplish two things: bring awareness to the gray areas of war that most don’t talk about and create a safe space that encourages a cathartic release of the traumatic experiences most of our warfighters share.  The amazing outcome is a group of strangers that quickly become confidants in a mere 6-day event.  They left with a head full of new, positive memories, new friendships, and a lighter load.

JD posted on social media: “Can’t say enough good things about this group. We fished, bonded, ate a bunch of great food and created a lifetime of memories together!” 

Tyler posted: “An unforgettable experience for everyone involved! I cannot put words how thankful I am.”

And upon leaving, Steve posted: “Well we got 3 new additions to the squad!! hailing from Austin Texas, and Shreveport Louisiana its ok if they’re Army nerds! We won’t hold that against them!! Stories for days: the good-bad-the ugly!! This trip will always be in the back of my mind whenever I need a good laugh. Big thanks again to all the donors and boat captains & crews who help to ensure we had an amazing experience. It ain’t always sunshine and rainbows for those of us who went down range. We will be forever grateful for y’all volunteering your time on our behalf!”