The first four-person team of American veterans rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to grow momentum on the need to increase awareness of and support for the mental and physical health of veterans. Two of those veterans are from Northwest Wyoming.
It took the four veterans 54 days to race roughly 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The Fight Oar Die team completed the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. The team of military veterans decided they needed to raise awareness to other veterans to stop taking their own lives and live as much as they can.
Christ Kuntz and Beau Maier are from Powell and Cody, respectively. Kuntz said rowing across the ocean is a way for him to take back control of his life. And he and his teammates wanted other veterans to realize how they can do the same.
"What we're trying to do is bring awareness to other veterans...stop taking your lives and start living them. Everybody has an ocean to cross. I can row across an ocean but maybe you can't, but maybe your ocean to cross is to run a 5k or to find a better job or finish your degree," said Kuntz.
He said the team is already beginning to recruit veterans for next year's challenge
"We want to build multiple teams. Me personally, I'm trying to look for four female's veterans who would like to get in there and row for all the trauma female veterans face, which is semi different than what the men face," said Kuntz.
