PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Since 2015, the nonprofit group Vet Catch has offered free chartered fishing trips for veterans as a way to give back to former servicemen and women.

Founder Bill Rutherford, an Army veteran, said he established it as a way to stay connected when he left the military. He said fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is something he missed while serving in the Middle East.

"I knew I wanted to do something, and I know that the one skill set I guess I have is I know how to fish," he said. "There's a lot of therapeutic qualities to fishing — there's a lot of therapeutic qualities to being on the boat or being in the water."

Navy veteran Rick Rettinger said he drove across the state from Edgewater to board a recent Vet Catch trip.

"Indescribable," he said of spending time on the water. "Just because I'm in a chair, I'm no different than you enjoying the outdoors. On most boats, of course, it's difficult for me to get on and get off, unless we've got some big, burly guys to life me on, lift me off."

Rettinger uses a wheelchair to get around after developing transverse myelitis eight years ago. Vet Catch uses a pontoon boat, which made it easier for him to go from the dock onto the boat itself.

Rutherford said Vet Catch can accommodate any veteran, no matter their needs.

"We have special-made wheelchairs that have adaptive fishing apparatus attached to them," he said. "So, even if the vet doesn't have use of his arms, we have an electric reel that we can strap to them, and they can still feel that fish fight.

"I'm telling you, it brings you back, in whatever place you're at in your head. For me, it was obviously geographical, I was gone physically out of the country, but it brings you back, it grounds you."

Kelly Andersen knows the importance of that firsthand. Andersen said he suffered an injury following his service in the military that required multiple surgeries during a 2-year period.

"Essentially, I lived either in a hospital room, my bed, a recliner, or the chair," he said. "Someone came and drug me out of the house one day to go into the woods — someone who knew me well enough to know how much I enjoyed archery. I was mad as can be. He forced me against my will, if you will, and I like to think he probably saved my life.

"I went out more or less to quiet him down. I got in the woods. I watched the leaf that just spirals from a tree to its final resting on the ground. It all came back to serenity and peace, the fact that I can get out and do something because for two years, going through all the surgeries, I didn't do anything." 

Andersen was on board the Vet Catch trip with Rettinger, as was Air Force veteran Stephen Cone. Andersen and Cone are with nonprofits that have similar missions to Vet Catch.

The Fallen Outdoors, the group Andersen is with, and X22 Adventures, Cone's group, both organize outdoor adventures for veterans. 

"When we are in the service, we have that, 'I've got your back. I've got your six,'" said Cone. "Well, you leave that, and all of a sudden, you're alone."

Not only is camaraderie recaptured on board a Vet Catch trip, but the groups also work together to make sure veterans are connected with the right opportunities. The main goal of all three is to help veterans.

"I'm tired of losing friends," said Cone. "That's the biggest thing. I'm tired of losing friends to situations that are temporary."

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs "2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report" from September, an average of 17.2 veterans took their own lives every day in 2019.

Rutherford, Andersen and Cone said the hope is that their organizations can get veterans they serve to focus on nature and whatever activities they're taking part in, and, at least for awhile, not on whatever problems they may be facing that could cause them to consider suicide.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Warning signs that someone may be planning to kill themselves include showing rage or talking about seeking revenge, increasing use of alcohol or drugs, and talking about being a burden to others.