Andy Harvell joined the Air Force after graduating high school in 2002, enlisting to enter the training pipeline to become a Combat Controller.  He first served in the 21 st Special Tactics Squadron where he completed four combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan before transferring to the elite 24 th  Special Tactics Squadron.  Sadly, on August 6, 2011, Andy was killed in the Extortion 17 helicopter crash – he was one of 30 Americans, mostly special operators, and it was the greatest...

The 2026 Offshore Experience program began with an exceptional group of warfighters.  The group consisted of five combat veterans whose entire careers spanned the Global War on Terror.  Men who had served in Special Forces for most of their careers traveled to Costa Rica in expectation of fun, camaraderie, and learning…and that’s exactly what they got. Retired Master Sergeant Eddie D. was the cornerstone of this group.  He attended the Offshore Experience in 2025 and wanted to involve more...

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, 6th 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.