Veterans

Arts & Culture

A veteran offers advice about mental health treatment

Cary Barbor

A rising star in American politics urges his fellow veterans to get help with mental health if they need it.

Fish with a Hero is expanding the number of fishing programs and experiences offered to Southwest Florida’s wounded and disabled veterans. This expansion is being made possible by new partnerships with Freedom Waters Foundation of Naples, Kappa Alpha at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Estero River Outfitters. healing fishing experiences even more to help them cope with PTSD and other wounds of war.”
Monthly outreach events are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University at the Veteran’s Pavilion from 4 to 6 p.m. Additional fishing and boating experiences will be offered in Naples through the partnership with Freedom Waters Foundation.

Human Interest

Non-profit provides fishing, boating experiences for veterans

WGCU Staff

Fish With a Hero, Inc. is a public charity and Florida not-for-profit corporation — each year, Fish With a Hero provides world class fishing experiences and sponsors programs designed to assist participants in dealing with the effects of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other disabilities and wounds of war.

Payton DeMay, 27 and served in the Navy, loves on Victor, one of the adoptable dogs at Shy Wolf. Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center, in Naples, joined forces with Home Base Florida to provide them with the opportunity to participate in Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s Healing Hearts Program. The collaboration is unique to Home Base Florida’s Adventure Series Program, an initiative aimed at strengthening family bonds before, during and after military deployment. Recently veterans enrolled in Home Base Florida’s Adventure Series participated in an educational encounter with Shy Wolf. Home Base Florida, is a local non-profit founded by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital dedicated to supporting Veterans and military families impacted by the invisible wounds of war. The group performed service as well as toured the sanctuary and interacted with some of the wolf dogs on the grounds.

Cultural Affairs

Animal-human interactions helping to heal traumas sustained by both at Shy Wolf Sanctuary

Gwendolyn Salata

Shy Wolf Sanctuary is providing members of Home Base Florida, a local non-profit dedicated to supporting veterans and military families, the opportunity to take part in the sanctuary’s Healing Hearts Program.Veterans enrolled in Home Base Florida’s Adventure Series participate in an educational encounter with the Sanctuary’s rescued animals that have experienced similar challenges in their lives.

Navy Veteran Robert Vandegrif is the main subject of Andre Fuad Degas’ latest film, “I Walked With Heroes."

Encore: Filmmaker tells WWII vet's story

Cary Barbor

"I Walked With Heroes" tells the story of a local WWII vet. Filmmaker Andre Degas joins us to talk about it.

Dream Flights honors Shell Point Retirement Community resident veterans over two days (April 24 and April 25). Dream Flights is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring seniors and military veterans with a flight in a Boeing Stearman biplane.

Human Interest

SWFL veterans climb into the wild blue yonder for a 'Dream Flight'

Tara Calligan

Since 2011 a national nonprofit has been offering flights in an old Boeing Steadman biplane to seniors and veterans, providing them with a thrilling reminder of the past. Page Field in Fort Myers is one of their regular stops.

A large banner with the image of the monument hangs as the site is set up for the groundbreaking. At the age of 21, William “Bill” R. Gaines, Jr., of Charlotte County was one of 22 Floridians and one of 241 members of the U.S. Peacekeeping troops that died in a suicide bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, almost 40 years ago. A groundbreaking was held, Wednesday morning, March 15, 2023, for the Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Tower. The structure will be erected at William R. Gaines, Jr., Veterans Memorial Park, and will memorialize the Americans who died that day and honor all the Peacekeepers who served in Beirut in 1982-1984.

Human Interest

Rising to remember: Ground broken for Beirut Peacekeepers Memorial Tower in Port Charlotte

Michael Braun and Andrea Melendez

Ground was broken Wednesday in Charlotte County for the Beirut Peacekeepers Tower at the William R. Gaines Jr. Veterans Memorial Park.The tower will memorialize the 241 Americans killed 40 years ago in the Oct. 23, 1983, bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese Civil War.

Filmmaker tells WWII vet's story

Cary Barbor

"I Walked With Heroes" tells the story of a local WWII vet. Filmmaker Andre Degas joins us to talk about it.

Port Charlotte veteran and his family were surprised by FPL and others who decorated their home for Christmas.

FPL donates a brighter Christmas to Port Charlotte veteran, family

Andrea Melendez

On Monday a group of about 30 Florida Power & Light employees, friends and neighbors donated their time of decorate the Port Charlotte home of Leah and Justin Hessinger and their children, Faith, 14, and Carter, 5.

Local, national veterans tell their stories on radio and TV

Dayna Harpster

WGCU offers radio, TV programming for Veterans Day 2022

Julia Carpenter, 11, sits at her grandmother's grave, World War II United States Marine Corp veteran Mary Winston, at the National Cemetery in Bourne, Mass., Friday afternoon, Nov. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

Song of the Day for November 11: "Some Gave All" by Billy Ray Cyrus

Sheldon Zoldan

Veterans Day didn’t start out honoring all veterans. It began as Armistice Day, which first was celebrated on Nov. 11, 1919, one year after the fighting in World War I ceased. The name changed in 1954, when the holiday honored veterans of all wars.