{"id":11944,"date":"2025-08-04T12:05:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=11944"},"modified":"2025-08-04T12:05:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T16:05:34","slug":"christian-organization-helps-veterans-fight-the-battle-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/ponte-vedra\/christian-organization-helps-veterans-fight-the-battle-within\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian organization helps veterans fight the battle within"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Maggie FitzRoy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marine veteran James Watkins had never hunted an alligator before, but he wasn\u2019t alone, and he was ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guided by a professional alligator trapper Mike Dragich and aided by fellow veterans struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Watkins set his sights on a large gator resting in a canal near corn fields. Advancing closer, he threw a long rope attached to a treble hook and hooked it in its side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had to pull him close to shore and get a snare rope over his head,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cHe was tired by that point because he fought us pretty good. Then one guy held his head, and I jumped on his back. My adrenaline was pumping so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digging his knees into the gator\u2019s armpits, he held the animal\u2019s head and stabbed it in the neck, severing its spinal cord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a Marine, I\u2019ve got PTSD every day. Being able to do that, I felt a weight taken off my shoulders,\u201d Watkins said. \u201cThen, to top it all off, after that we went to a local spring, where four of us got baptized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Memorial Day, a day that Watkins said is always emotional for him and other military veterans, which made the experience particularly memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll remember it for the rest of my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t thank Mike and Project Savior Outdoors for giving me this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dragich, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan, founded Project Savior Outdoors three years ago after 15 fellow Marines committed suicide. The project\u2019s mission, stated on its website, projectsavioroutdoors.org, is \u201cto fight veteran suicide through the outdoors and sharing the true freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through fundraising and donations, the organization supports veteran hunts, fishing charters, retreats, and prayer and devotional bible study meetings every Wednesday night at the organization\u2019s headquarters adjacent to Nocatee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anywhere from 35 to 45 men typically attend the Wednesday night event. They include military veterans as well as police and firefighter first responders. Led by Eli Tavarez, many show up at 5 p.m. for an hour of open mat workouts and vigorous exercise, sponsored in part by Top Tier Fitness. Food, provided by local vendors, is also provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendance usually doubles on the first Wednesday of every month for Community Night, Tavarez said during a recent Wednesday night gathering. \u201cIf the men know someone who is struggling who is a vet, they are encouraged to bring them. We love on them, we feed them, we hang out with them, we break bread together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 6 p.m., the workout mats are rolled up and chairs are arranged in a large circle for a 15-minute prayer and talk led Tavarez, who uses a disciple group curriculum created by the Church of Eleven22, based in Jacksonville. After that, the men break into small group discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tavarez said the church also helps in other ways. \u201cThey provide guest speakers, care resources for people suffering from PTSD, for those who are suicidal, going through a divorce or drug addiction. Our world view is that every man struggles because we are in a fallen world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose behind the hunts, he said, \u201cis to get a man who is in bad circumstances out of it and get him shoulder to shoulder with men to build relationships. Some men have never hunted before. There is a reverence for the gift that God has given us through that animal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watkins, who regularly attends the Wednesday night gatherings, said his wife has seen changes in him since he started coming in February. \u201cI\u2019m reading the Bible every night. I\u2019m able to talk to my wife on a deeper level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also attends church, which he never did before. \u201cI\u2019ve become more open and comfortable in my faith,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Project Savior Outdoors members work out at the organization’s headquarters. Photo by Maggie FitzRoy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Project Savior Outdoors participants gather for a Wednesday night meeting. Photo by Maggie FitzRoy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Eli Tavarez, center, kicks off a group prayer session with a short inspirational talk at Project Savior Outdoors headquarters near Nocatee. Photo by Maggie FitzRoy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
U.S. Marine Corps veteran James Watkins successfully captures an alligator during a Project Savior Outdoors Memorial Day hunt. Photo by Maggie FitzRoy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Maggie FitzRoy Marine veteran James Watkins had never hunted an alligator before, but he wasn\u2019t alone, and he was ready. Guided by a professional alligator trapper Mike Dragich and aided by fellow veterans struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Watkins set his sights on a large gator resting in a canal near corn fields. Advancing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11944","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ponte-vedra"},"yoast_head":"\nChristian organization helps veterans fight the battle within - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ponte Vedra NewsLine By Maggie FitzRoy Marine veteran James Watkins had never hunted an alligator before, but he wasn\u2019t alone, and he was ready. 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