MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A veteran-based organization is expanding and bringing its first South Carolina chapter to Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas with the help of recently retired Horry County Police Chief Joe Hill.
The group, Fishing for the Mission 22 , takes veterans fishing in an effort to battle veteran suicide, PTSD and depression. Twenty-two might sound like just a number, but to many, it’s symbolic of how many veterans take their lives every day.
The group started with one veteran, president and founder Harold Skelton, but has expanded to four states while building relationships among veterans through something as simple as fishing.
“A lot of these veterans that we’re taking out on these trips are passing their phone numbers out or getting into [a] group text, and they’re continuing to fish after these trips, and that’s the whole point,” Skelton said.
After battling PTSD and depression from his own time in service, Skelton started Fishing for the Mission 22 nearly three years ago in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In addition to taking veterans fishing, the group helps them become captains and build a community after service.