Pay4Ward
Pay4ward is a non-profit organization that helps returning combat veterans reintegrate into society through recreational sailing.
THE MISSION: To Help Veterans Heal
Sailing is a crew activity and requires teamwork, communication and building trust in each other. This shared physical activity on the open waters develops camaraderie and open communication and helps veterans to relax and open up. This is the first step in helping these veterans to heal.
THE WHY:
When I came home from Vietnam, I felt totally alone. I was also in shock: in the course of a week I went from fighting an enemy I couldn't see in the jungle, to walking the streets of my hometown looking for a job. I also couldn't understand how the world had totally changed since I was gone. I found so many people at home were against me for having served my country, something my father and grandfather had done and were appreciated for it.
I had lost so many friends and comrades in combat but I felt numb, not sad or grieving. It bothered me because I knew their loss should affect me. But it didn't. I attended some veteran outreach events but it didn't help me. After I went to the first reunion of my infantry unit, I learned that half the guys who survived the war had committed suicide after coming back home. And I didn't do anything about it. I just stuck my head in the sand and focused on my work. Too much on my work. And it kept me in a hole. Only sailing kept me together, and I found a job working on the water delivering sailboats. I wanted to be alone, and this job let me do that, in a peaceful, calming setting. I went on autopilot, keeping everything pushed down inside of me for decades.
What changed me? Connecting with other combat veterans. I found Outward Bound, a program for veterans to connect and heal through sailing and rowing on small boats. I got to know fellow veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was the older guy, and these young veterans started asking me for advice. Questions like how did you make it (alive) for decades? How did you stay married, let alone keep a relationship going? By not talking about myself, I was getting a lot of these guys to talk. I realized I had something to share and I could help. I also decided to finally get the help I needed.
Driving home from this trip, I felt like I could help vets where I live. I could buy a small boat and use my sailing experience to help others, and my understanding of combat and its long aftermath to connect to other veterans and help them. For the first time my soul was not fighting with myself for the things I did in Vietnam. I knew this was what I needed to do to help my brothers and sisters, and myself. I knew that if I saved just one person's life, it would be worth it. That’s Pay4ward’s main mission.
$.50 per every bowl of ramen sold during the month of April will be donated directly towards helping veterans reintegrate into society through recreational sailing. To learn more, please visit, https://pay4ward.org/
*You are donating directly to Dream Machine Foundation. Eat Justice receives 0% of the proceeds.