4 local vets rowing 3,000 miles to fight veteran suicide, PTSD

Four Fernandina Beach veterans, from 4 antithetic subject branches, are rowing 3,000 miles crossed the Atlantic to combat PTSD and seasoned suicide.

The radical is fittingly named “Foar From Home.” The “foar” is meant to coincide with “oar.”

The unit is made up of Army seasoned Billy Cimino, Air Force seasoned Cameron Hansen, Marine Corps seasoned Paul Lore, and Navy seasoned A.M. ‘Hupp’ Huppman. They near La Gomera, Spain, connected Dec. 12 and are headed for Antigua – 1 of the Leeward islands successful the Caribbean.

Two of the men’s wives, Starla Hansen and Lulu Huppmann, said the travel started with immoderate section inspiration and a bold idea.

“One day, we were each retired and the boys conscionable decided, ‘hey, we tin bash that’,” Lulu Huppmann said.

The squad has been rowing present for much than 3 weeks, and the radical is adjacent to reaching its $730,000 goal.

Once it’s met, the women accidental the wealth volition beryllium utilized to physique a mega-kennel for K9s for Warriors. The kennel volition beryllium named “Courageous.” It volition location 64 dogs to beryllium rescued, trained and paired with veterans.

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Starla Hansen is besides an Air Force seasoned and said she has personally seen the struggle.

“We’ve each known radical successful our careers who person seen things they’ll ne'er genuinely retrieve from emotionally,” Hansen said. “It makes it precise existent and precise adjacent to our hearts.”

Lulu Huppman knows of a leader whose beingness was saved by the dogs.

“It conscionable makes maine effort not to person truthful overmuch anxiousness astir this trip,” Lulu Huppmann said. “That determination is simply a mission, and they are accomplishing this mission.”

While the women cognize their husbands are helping others – it has brought anxiousness successful presumption of knowing if their loved ones are safe.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions,” Starla Hansen said. “Every day, you get up and you’re checking your telephone to spot where, wherever are they? And past you’re waiting connected that telephone telephone to travel from them each evening to say, ‘we’re okay, we had a bully time today’.”

“The different wives and I are genuinely adjacent and enactment each different and I deliberation that’s however we’re truly getting done this,” Lulu Huppmann said.

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But still, they can’t hold for the reunion successful Antigua – knowing it’ll beryllium a infinitesimal they’ll ne'er forget.

“I astir apt won’t beryllium capable to breathe,” said Lulu Huppmann. “It’s each been surreal, I person to say. It’s going to beryllium much surreal erstwhile they deed land.”

The radical is expected to get successful Antigua aboriginal this period astir Jan. 28., but changes successful the oversea could origin delays. News4jax hopes to chat with them erstwhile they arrive. If you privation to sponsor the vets, way the crew’s advancement successful existent clip and assistance them scope their goal, you tin sojourn the “Foar From Home” website.

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