Wounded veterans find new life on the high seas – WPBF West Palm Beach

LAKE WORTH, Fla.

A group of seven combat veterans spent last weekend aboard a private yacht in Cabo San Lucas, fishing poles in hand.

Some people may look at it and say its cool what youre doing. Its just a weekend of fishing, said one of those veterans, Nick Kefalides. But its so much more.

Kefalides now lives in Lake Worth.

Before that, though, he was Staff Sgt Nick Kefalides with the U.S. Marines Special Operations Command. He spent eleven years serving in the worlds most dangerous places.

He left the military in 2015 after multiple concussions, traumatic brain injury, and three surgeries on his spine.

I pretty much live in pain day to day, Kefalides said. Ive kind of found coping mechanisms and ways to minimize that.

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Kefalides said he found minimizing the psychological damage to be even more difficult.

Once he left the military, he found it extremely hard to adjust to civilian life.

I just felt lost, he said. I kind of felt like I had no purpose.

Thats when a non-profit called the Freedom Alliance found Kefalides.

About once every two months, the Freedom Alliance leaves from Palm Beach County with a group of veterans from across the country. They take them to a corner of the world for a fishing trip.

For a lot of these guys, its the reset button that they need, Kefalides said.

For those two days, there are no struggles and there are no questions.

For those two days, there is just fishing and talking as a team, as a unit.

It makes them realize theyre not alone, Kefalides said. Theres other guys that are seeing similar struggles.

Kefalides took his first trip with the Freedom Alliance two years ago.

He was so low at the time he believes the trip may have saved his life.

Now, he volunteers for the Freedom Alliance, organizing these fishing trips. He then joins his brothers and watches as they realize they have a lot of life left to live.

For a long time, I felt like I had lost my sense of purpose and this literally has given me that again to where I feel like Im making a difference in peoples lives, Kefalides said.

For more information on the Freedom Alliance, you can go to freedomalliance.org.

WEBVTT GET THEIR LIVES BACK TOGETHER.ARI HAIT HAS MORE ON THE FREEDOMALLIANCE.>> SOME PEOPLE MAY LOOK AT ITAND SAY IT'S COOL WHAT YOU'REDOING.IT'S JUST A WEEKEND OF FISHING.BUT IT'S SO MUCH MOREARI: IT COULD BE A WEEKEND INCABO, OR THE BAHAMAS, OR COSTARICA.THE LOCATIONS ARE ALLSPECTACULAR, BUT WHAT'S REALLYIMPORTANT ON THESE TRIPS IS THEGUEST LIST.>> THERAPEUTIC IS PROBABLY THEBEST WAY TO PUT ITTHE WHOLE EXPERIENCE TOGETHER ISVERY THERAPEUTIC.ARI: NICK KEFALIDES NOW LIVES INLAKE WORTH.>> YEAH, BOY. ARI: HE LOVES HANGING AT HOME,PLAYING WITH HIS DOGS.BUT BEFORE THAT, HE WAS STAFFSERGEANT KEFALIDES WITH THE U.S.MARINES SPECIAL OPERATIONSCOMMAND.11 YEARS IN THE WORLD'S MOSTDANGEROUS PLACES.HE LEFT THE MILITARY IN 2015AFTER MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS,TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, ANDTHREE SURGERIES ON HIS SPINE.>> I PRETTY MUCH LIVE IN PAINDAY TO DAY.I'VE KIND OF FOUND COPINGMECHANISMS AND WAYS TO MINIMIZETHAT.ARI: BUT MINIMIZING THEPSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE WAS EVEMORE DIFFICULT.NICK HAD NO IDEA HOW TO SURVIVEAS A CIVILIAN.>> I JUST FELT LOST.I KIND OF FELT LIKE I HAD NOPURPOSE.ARI: AND THAT'S WHEN A GROUPCALLED THE FREEDOM ALLIANCEFOUND HIIT'S A CHARITY AND ABOUT ONCEEVERY TWO MONTHS, THEY LEAVEFROM PALM BEACH COUNTY AND TAKEA GROUP OF WOUNDED VETERANS TO ACORNER OF THE WORLD FOR AFISHING TRIP.>> FOR A LOT OF THESE GUYS, IT'STHE RESET BUTTON THAT THEY NEED.ARI: FOR TWO DAYS, THERE ARE NOSTRUGGLES.THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS.JUST FISHING AND TALKING AS ATEAM, AS A UNIT.>> IT MAKES THEM REALIZE THEY'RENOT ALONE.THERE'S OTHER GUYS THAT ARESEEING SIMILAR STRUGGLES.ARI: NICK TOOK HIS FIRST TRIPTWO YEARS AGO, HE BELIEVES ITMAY HAVE SAVED HIS LIFE.NOW HE VOLUNTEERS FOR THEFREEDOM ALLIANCE, ORGANIZINGTHESE TRIPS, THEN JOINING HISBROTHERS AND WATCHING THEMREALIZE THEY HAVE A LOT OF LIFELEFT TO LIVE>> FOR A LONG TIME, I FELT LIKEI HAD LOST MY SENSE OF PURPOSEAND THIS LITERALLY HAS GIVEN METHAT AGAIN TO WHERE I FEEL LIKEI'M MAKING A DIFFERENCE INPEOPLE'S LIVEARI: IF YOU WOULD LIKE MOREINFORMATION ABOUT THE FREEDOMALLIANCE, WE'VE PUT A LINK TO

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Wounded veterans find new life on the high seas - WPBF West Palm Beach