The first time Josh got back in a kayak after years away, he was nervous. “I wasn’t sure about my balance,” he admits. “I didn’t want to end up swimming instead of fishing.” But as soon as he hit the water, something clicked. “I realized I don’t need my legs to kayak. The second that paddle touched the water, I was home.”

Josh isn’t one to sugarcoat things. “Coming home from Iraq, I kept searching for that rush. It was addictive,” he says. “I fought mental demons that led me in and out of psych wards and spiraling in drug use.”

In 2010, he made the decision to get clean and start focusing on his mental health. “The VA called it PTSD and TBI from the blasts and wrecks. I just called it a mess. Everything was mental. Physically, I was good to go, or so I thought.”

“Fast forward ten years, many different doctors, counseling, groups, using a service dog, plus hours of kayaking and life was mostly normal,” adds Josh.

Then, 2020 threw him a curveball. “I started losing feeling on the left side of my body. Turns out, I’d been walking around for years with an undiagnosed spinal cord injury from Iraq. Guess my body finally decided to clue me in.”

Josh had to rebuild himself again. “It took surgery, time, and a ton of physical therapy. I went from walking and running to using a walker, to a wheelchair, and then slowly back to walking without assistance. I talked myself into getting into a kayak again late last year with the Texas chapter at one of their events. it was the first time I had been in a kayak in 4 years.”

Since then, he’s been back as often as he can, even taking his daughter out for her first trip. “Watching her paddle out, seeing that same joy I found years ago. That’s the stuff that matters.”

In 2014, at a particularly rough point, Josh needed something to hold onto. “Somehow, I got Joe Winston’s number. He was HOW’s Southeast Texas Chapter Coordinator at the time.”

Josh didn’t know what to expect. “I had never been around kayakers. Hell, I didn’t even know Joe.”

But that first event? It hooked him. “I came away from that event addicted to kayak fishing,” he says. “After that, I was on the water almost daily, hitting up every event I could. I went from participant to volunteer to running our own chapter.”

The sense of belonging is what keeps Josh coming back. “HOW focuses on family. Not just the veterans, but their kids, their spouses, everyone. That’s rare,” continues Josh. “You don’t need experience, a kayak, or a fishing pole, just the will to help.”

Too many veterans think they’re out of options. Josh says he’s had spouses call him in desperation, telling him they can’t deal with their veteran anymore.

“They drop them off at an event, and we go fishing. We laugh, we cry, we cuss, we paddle. Just reach out,” encourages Josh.

He’s not a doctor, just a guy who’s spent years sitting through counseling and therapy. “With outdoor therapy, I’ve found a peace I never knew before.”

“Being on the water gives a sense of peace that’s hard to explain,” he says. “And we have chapters nationwide. If you need this, it’s there for you.”

HOW events are a mix of personalities. “You’ve got hardcore fishermen, casual paddlers, first-timers, and old-timers. Everyone’s nervous at first, but by the end of the day, we’re all family.”

There’s always room for more hands at HOW events. “Many hands make light work. Whether you’re setting up kayaks, helping out on the water, or just lending an ear. Every bit helps.”

Josh’s advice is simple: “First reach out. If you’re questioning whether you should, that’s your answer. Please, bother me. Bother someone. We all need to lean on each other.”

Looking back at photos from HOW events, Josh sees one thing over and over – smiles. “Real, genuine smiles.”

Some of those faces belong to people who aren’t here anymore. “I have messages and voicemails I can’t delete because it would mean they’re gone.”

But others? They’re still out there, still reaching out. “I get pictures of fish, stories of life wins, little things that show me they’re still here, still fighting.”

“You never know what someone’s going through. But on the water, for a little while, none of that matters. Nature takes over, and smiles happen.”

Josh almost became one of those messages on someone’s phone. “Looking back, I see what I couldn’t back then, the reason to live that I couldn’t find before.”

Your support gives veterans like Josh the chance to find their way forward. Join our monthly giving program for as little as $10 a month and honor their sacrifice.

Heroes on the Water helps veterans, active-duty military, law enforcement officers, first responders, and their families reconnect and heal through kayak fishing and outdoor recreation. Backed by our Operation Early Impact study showing significant improvements in mental health, stress reduction, and overall well-being – our approach delivers real results.

We provide support through two core programs: our Volunteer-Led Chapters, offering community-based kayak fishing nationwide, and our Therapeutic Programs, which partner with VA and DoD facilities to serve veterans and active-duty military in treatment. All programs are provided at no cost to participants, giving our heroes a space to decompress, reconnect, and reclaim hope.

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