Wounded Warriors of South Florida helping veterans heal

Former Marine offers free fishing trips to disabled veterans
Posted: 2012 Sep 07
By Samantha Joseph
Hometown News
Staff writer

STUART - John "JJ" Jamason doesn't like to talk about his illnesses, except to say he has "several terminal diagnoses" and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The former Marine and Vietnam veteran does spend most of his time, though, thinking of ways to help other ex-soldiers struggling with PTSD, an anxiety disorder.

He settled on the idea of sharing one of his favorite past times. That's why he and his wife, Debra, purchased a 25-foot boat to offer fishing excursions free of charge.

"A lot of the reason I wanted to take out these (veterans) is because a lot of them have PTSD. I've had it for 40 years, so I feel I'm uniquely qualified to deal with them," said Mr. Jamason, an avid fisherman.

"They get into this horrible grey area that causes a lot of anxiety. The calmness of the ocean helps."

Mr. Jamason is the cofounder of Wounded Warriors of South Florida, which serves veterans from Fort Pierce to Key West.

The regional group is not affiliated with the Wounded Warrior Project, a multi-million-dollar national agency.

Through the nonprofit, he helps provide rent assistance, food, money to pay utilities on the brink of disconnection, home and vehicle repairs, transportation to medical appointments, recreation programs and other services.
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