¦ April 9, 2013
A Wounded Warrior's ambitious plan
Helping SCI families make a fresh start

Gary Harris of Gainesville, Florida, first met Sam Schmidt while he and ten of his fellow Wounded Warriors were Sam’s guests at the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg.

Gary is someone you would call a fighter. A decorated veteran of the Iraq War, his time as an aircraft firefighter in the U.S. Navy set him up for an even bigger battle when he returned home.  The scars he bore while serving his country were many: post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. But, again, Gary is a fighter. After nine months of intense physical therapy and with the help of his German shepherd service dog, Gary was able to support his own weight and eventually walk again.

Realizing an amazing opportunity to start a new chapter in his life, Gary enrolled in the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities program. Shortly thereafter, Gary found himself a successful business owner and the first Certified Service Disabled Veteran Business Owner to be registered in the state of Florida. The governor chose Gary as the “face” of the bill, which, when he signed it into law, paved the way for other disabled veterans to submit bids for state contracts as a recognized minority business.

Gary’s experience at Syracuse and as a successful business owner has now inspired him to help give other disabled vets a boost. An avid fisherman, Gary has started Warriors 2 Water, a registered 501 (3) c organization that provides commercial fishing opportunities to wounded warriors, caregivers, widows and orphans. Minimally, he intents to give them a great experience they’ll never forget. Ideally, he will help them create their own commercial fishing business.

“I want to give them, at no cost, a great freshwater fishing experience,” says Gary. “Then, I want to give them the tools so they can start their own business and provide support for their families.”

Here’s how it will work:

Each month, Warriors 2 Water will award a fishing trip on Gary’s retro-fitted, wheelchair accessible boat. After the warrior completes his first day of fishing, Gary will then assist in helping the warrior develop a business plan for his own commercial fishing business. He will also award a micro-grant, providing each graduate of the Warriors 2 Water program a commercial fishing license and a commercial dealer’s license for freshwater species.

Gary still has some work to do to make this dream become a reality. He has the boat, but will need the assistance of an engineer to complete the modifications to make the boat safely accessible. We’ll keep you posted on his progress!

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