A couple of months back I ran into a man named Ryan at the SeaTac International Airport. I had two hours to kill, so a $14 beer seemed like my best option. Ryan and his wife appeared to be in the same predicament, and I arrived in line shortly after them, positioning us right next to each other. My curiosity peaked when I saw Ryan’s shirt, which read “Mission Outdoors”. I would consider myself an outdoorsy fella, considering I was the male recipient of “Most Outdoorsy” for my senior superlative in High School. Oh and not to mention the countless years I have been hunting and fishing with my family. 
It turns out that Ryan is the founder of Mission Outdoors a non-profit organization that focuses on planting seeds of hope in the lives of our veteran heroes. They do that by hosting life-changing events that generally revolve around the outdoors. To the average person, these events wouldn’t qualify as life-changing, however, to the men and women that are fighting demons, loneliness, and PTSD daily, it oftentimes means the world to them.
Just to know that they have a sense of worth in this life is all they need. If you ask anyone of these vets whether or not they would die for their fellow friends in combat, their answer will always be a resounding yes. Mission Outdoors recognizes the bond that these Veterans have and the new connections they are looking for. Here’s an excerpt from the “Mission Outdoors” website “Our combat veterans made unthinkable sacrifices for the simple freedoms we enjoy every day. Now it’s their turn to enjoy those freedoms, through hunting, fishing, outdoor adventures, 
and surrounding veterans with people who care, Mission Outdoors brings together veterans to build a network of compassion and empathy. But most of all, we’re about giving HOPE . . . something too many of our American Heroes haven’t felt in a long time.”
This was the third annual razor clam and crabbing event hosted at the Ilwaco Tuna Club, in Ilwaco Washington. A place where friends were made, food was shared, and jokes were cracked. This was a great experience for my family and we are stoked for Mission Outdoors next event. I hope you enjoy the video and share it with others in your life that may benefit from this organization. If you would like to learn more about Mission Outdoors or donate to this worthy cause, check out their website at:
www.missionoutdoors.org
