Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

FORCE BLUE is continuing to unite veteran Special Operations Forces combat divers with frontline marine conservation efforts for the betterment of both.

During its first year, Jim Ritterhoff and Rudy Reyes recruited and trained their first team of Special Operations Force divers and deployed on critical missions in the Florida Keys and Puerto Rico to triage, assess and restore coral reefs damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Ritterhoff reports, “As we looking toward 2018 and beyond, we know that FORCE BLUE can supplement and fill a significant gap in effective services available to Special Operations Force veterans and in marine conservation initiatives. We accept the responsibility and commit to serving our veterans and marine resources. We also recognize that FORCE BLUE is uniquely positioned to leverage its position as a trans-partisan organization and to pursue that, which is visionary, grand and greater than ourselves.

Our goal and approach toward such a goal is rooted in the following understanding:
1. Our veterans deserve and, statistics regarding their well-being demand, an immediate solution
2. Our planet deserves and statistics regarding its health, demands immediate action
3. Informed by and built upon the Special Operations Force culture, Force Blue is an organization designed for efficient action and effective impact.

For more information, visit here.

Established in 2016, FORCE BLUE is a non-profit organization that addresses two seemingly unrelated problems – the rapidly declining health of earth’s marine resources and the difficulty returning combat veterans have in adjusting to civilian life. By uniting the community of Special Operations veterans with the world of marine science and conservation in one, mission-focused program, FORCE BLUE has created a model of caring, cooperation and positive change with the power to restore lives and restore the planet.

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