VS4Life
Marlene Rodriguez
My over all experience with veteran skydive 4, was as if I live life for the first time. Everyone was very helpful, the application process was not hard at all and I got a response very quickly I was also able to do my jump outside of the normal dates. Floating through the sky freely for my first time ever was very up lifting, it brought joy immediately into my heart. I felt worry free, calm, grounded. Thank nice I touched ground I was ready to jump again and want to get a jump license. I suggest this to all my brothers and sisters in arms. You will not regret it, I feel so level headed now. Thanks again James, everyone at VS4LIFE, sterling, Brian..
Tyler Slabey
My experience with Veteran's Skydive 4 life was an incredible one. I attended with my girlfriend Vicky, and immediately we were made to feel like family. There was food, music, and other veterans and staff to talk with before we got suited up to make our jumps. It was great to be able to spend some time bonding with the other veterans and staff. We made our jumps, and it was an incredible experience being able to get our adrenaline fix while also building camaraderie. Afterward, we had some food and drinks and set up tents, and had an amazing evening relaxing and talking with one another. It was also great to be able to see our jumps in the videos that VS4L personalized for each of the veterans so that we could relive that moment whenever we wanted.
The whole experience was great for a combat veteran like myself. It brought me together with some amazing people and forged some lifelong friendships. It's always great getting to spend time with other veterans, as you instantly feel as though you know one another on a certain level right off the bat. I strongly believe in what Veterans Skydive 4 life is building, and they truly care about what they're doing, and the veterans' lives they're trying to improve. I look forward to attending future events with Jim and other veterans as well.
Forever Greatful,
Sterling Dunn AKA Crispy D
Veterans Skydive 4 Life does amazing things for veterans. They offer important opportunities and unique experiences to vets who have suffered from physical and mental traumas. By offering alternative therapy, through skydiving and fellowship, veterans get to reconnect with the world and hopefully find some peace and happiness through the sport and its family. The skydiving community is very similar to the military community and is filled with prior service or those who support them. The camaraderie and structured environment suit most with military experience.
Skydiving has helped save my life! Without it, I don't think I would be who I am today. I suffer from anxiety and depression and have struggled to find a proper tool for dealing with my personal issues. I have physical and mental injuries from my military experience that have made it hard to find peace or purpose since being separated from the Army. After struggling, watching, and hearing others with whom I felt I could relate take their own lives, I started searching for some sort of purpose. I refused to become a statistic or watch another brother or sister do the same. That is how I found Jim Osterman and his amazing organization.
After celebrating my 13th alive day skydiving, I knew this was what I was searching for. I wasn't sure what I needed to do to get there, but I had found peace and purpose. I looked online for groups that help veterans and didn't find much. I was actually shocked that there weren't very many resources for it, but there are so many for other sports and therapies. I sent Jim a message and just asked him for any help I could get. I was looking for anything to get my foot in the door. He told me that he was a long way from Texas but knew a great group of people who would take care of me. He shared his struggles and experiences with me and why he started VS4L. I was blown away by the love and energy he had for his purpose. I knew I was in the right place by the way he made me feel. After hooking me up with some fantastic friends, he and his son made a cross-country trip just to celebrate me getting my A-license in skydiving! I felt as if I had a homecoming with a long-lost brother.
Since then, I've been searching less and doing more. Not only have they helped me find some peace and purpose of my own, they've allowed me to help others do the same. By being an ambassador for others, who are looking to get into skydiving or finding an alternative therapy that works for them, I am now helping others find their peace and purpose. None of this would've happened without the mission of VeteransSkydive4Life.
The mission of Veterans Skydive for Life is to bring awareness to the number of Veteran suicides and to find a way to bring that number to ZERO! Bringing awareness to others and alternative therapies to veterans is the only way to help veterans save themselves. VeteransSkydive4Life helped save my life through skydiving, and now I'm trying to help others save theirs.
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