Nonprofit inspires local wounded veteran to help others

CONCORD, N.C. –Tyler Jeffries has finally found peace, years after war took him.

“I was leading a patrol. There was a guy waiting in the bushes or hiding, he pushed the button and blew me up,” Jeffries said of an improvised explosive device explosion in Afghanistan.

This explosion took away his legs and his will to live.

“I didn’t really want to go out in public or be seen by anyone. I was a little embarrassed being in a wheelchair with no legs,” Jeffries explained of his return to America.

Upon his return to the United States, the Semper Fi & America Fund reached out to him.

“When I was first injured, the Fund was there,” said Jeffries of Semper Fi & America Fund.

The Fund helped Jeffries get his service dog, Echo. They are currently helping Tyler and his wife, Lauren, with their IVF journey.

“They helped me in many ways and helped me become a better person,” Jeffries said.

That generosity and a fishing trip inspired Jeffries to start his own nonprofit.

“After blowing up, in a really bad place, it was my first time going deep sea fishing, and I wanted to share that experience with others,” Jeffries explained.

His nonprofit, Hookin’ Veterans, takes injured veterans on deep-sea fishing trips for free. Jeffries has helped others like him find therapy in nature, a new hobby and sometimes a new goal.

“If I take 15 guys fishing, and even one of them gets even a fraction of what I got, I consider that a win,” said Jeffries on helping others.