Different Jungle...Different Mission

Jay P. served honorably when our country drafted him to fight in Vietnam. He entered the Army in 1969 as an infantryman and returned to the States by way of Japan after being wounded. Once Jay came home to Virginia, he didn’t leave again…until he was invited by Freedom Alliance to return to the jungle once more. This time, however, it was a different jungle and a different mission. 

Two other veterans in our group had also served in jungle operations. These men deployed twenty years after Jay for the invasion of Panama in 1989. David R. is an Army Ranger who suffered gunshot wounds across his upper chest during a firefight in the restroom at Tocumen Airport. David brought his wife, Noel, with him on this mission. The other veteran, JT, is a pararescue specialist (known as a “PJ”) who served 22 years in the Air Force and was inserted into the operation at Rio Hato. 

Bryan S. also served in the Army Rangers and comes from a long line of family military service. He spent 22 years in the Army, deployed all over the world, including two combat stints in Afghanistan, and survived a near-fatal parachute accident in 2007. 

Helping to co-lead the group was Master Gunnery Sergeant Ricardo Sanders, a long-time friend of Freedom Alliance who first attended our Heroes Vacation in Costa Rica in 2013. Since then, he’s been an integral part of this mission for his strong faith foundation, expertise in construction, prior knowledge of Costa Rica, and stellar military service history. His wife, Maureen, who is originally from Costa Rica, accompanied him.

This event is modeled after a short-term mission project that would typically be conducted by a church or faith-based organization and is infused with elements we’ve found impactful for veterans. Working with a local church, we identified someone in need; in this case, it was a single mother of two children whose home needed roof repairs. Her 10-year-old son with autism requires full-time supervision, making it extremely difficult for her to find work.

Prior to the team’s arrival, our friend Jimmy Kitchell, owner of Costa Cat Cruises, helped assess the needs, arranged the supplies for the project, and even donated two of his work crew for two days to ensure completion.

The first day, the team visited the work site to meet the family, receive the building materials, and assess the project and whether any other supplies were needed. Each member of the team swiftly identified a need they could fulfill. Seeing that the home only had one light switch and one outlet (with several live wires exposed), the team immediately decided to improve the electrical wiring in addition to repairing the roof. 

Later that night, the team partnered with Horizon Church to feed the homeless in the town of Jaco. Jaco is a beach town and tourist destination with a sordid reputation. The feeding is a weekly outreach conducted by the church, but this week was different as migrants from Venezuela were passing through town. The event usually feeds 25 people; but that night, about twice as many attended, including a mass of young men from Venezuela. They were on their way to the United States to seek a better life.

As Ricardo delivered a devotional to those gathered around, it was obvious that the migrants wanted to share their journey with anyone who would listen. Several of our veterans came away with a change of heart. One said, “If I were in their shoes, I’d be doing the same thing.” It was a beautiful reminder that the United States is still the hope for people all over the world—a place of prosperity and opportunity, where hard work can improve one’s circumstances. 

The next day, as the team arrived to work on the house, we were met by Julio and Luis, Jimmy Kitchell’s employees who would be helping us. Their job was to remove the roof. Bryan worked on welding, with Ricardo and David cutting beams for the new roofing. JT and Jay worked on rewiring the electricity. Noel and Maureen visited with the mother and her children, keeping them occupied and away from the job site. Although it rained off and on, the team worked through, removing one section of the roof and leaving the other half for the following day. 

We accomplished so much over four days on the job site: We completely replaced the roof, adding structural beams, raising the pitch of the roof, and increasing the eaves. We added a screen to the front section of the house to allow for air flow. We re-wired all the electricity in the house, replaced the breakers, and added several light fixtures and outlets and even a ceiling fan. We repaired the water line going to the house and replaced a section of the wall that had been torn out by robbers.

The sense of accomplishment was great, and the recipient expressed her gratitude with tears of joy. Maureen relayed to us that the family finally didn’t have to move their mattress when it rained; it was the first time in a long while that they had slept in one spot.

One afternoon, some of the team remained working on the house while others went to support a food distribution mission. Freedom Alliance partnered with Horizon Church and A Reel Difference, a feeding program founded by local Americans who fish out of Los Sueños, to organize and distribute 40 food bags and drinkable water to a community that had been cut off for about three weeks due to flooding. Each bag of food held about a week’s worth of rations—rice, beans, coffee, sugar, tuna, etc.

That morning, however, the bridge that provided access to the neighborhood fell into the river. We adapted our plans to rendezvous with the people who needed help at a shallow point in the river (still waist-high in some parts) and help them carry the food and water across the river. It was an adventure!

During the mission trip, we enjoyed some great meals at local restaurants and with our supporters. Los Sueños Resort and Marina gives us a deep discount on meals, and so we ate breakfast and some dinners at the Marina Village. The first meal in the resort was at Al Fresco’s Beach Club. Afterwards JT said, “Thank you for the meal, Pepper,” to which Pepper replied, “It’s not on me, it’s Freedom Alliance and our supporters.”

JT considered that then said (referring to the founder of Freedom Alliance), “Thank you, Uncle Ollie, wherever you are.” And that became the mantra after each meal.

We celebrated Veteran’s Day and David’s birthday at Dolce Vita restaurant in the resort. The staff brought out a cake while singing and embarrassing David as much as possible. One night, Captain John LaGrone treated us to a beach-front restaurant dinner. John has been supporting our groups since we first visited Los Sueños in 2013. 

After our service projects were completed, the group enjoyed a few of the activities most tourists enjoy when vacationing in Costa Rica. The first was just around the corner from the job site—Jose’s Crocodile River Tour. Jose Eduardo, owner, has donated and discounted tours for Freedom Alliance since 2013!  The ride consists of a flat-bottom river boat tour of the wildlife that populate the Tarcoles River: birds, lizards, and of course, CROCODILES! Of the latter species, our group was fortunate to see some of the river’s larger alpha males.

For their final day in Costa Rica, our friend Jimmy Kitchell escorted us to Isla Tortuga for island fun and relaxation. The team snorkeled, hiked, swam, and rested in the shade of palm trees. We also caught up on the Bible study specially designed for the mission team about King David as a warrior. 

That evening, we finished our final devotional about the impact on the hearts of our warriors. Jay said, “This was the best time that I have had for quite a while. The camaraderie was no equal. We were all veterans: Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. I had thought about not going, but now I’m ready to go back!”