CONCORD, NC –Tyler Jeffries has finally found peace, years after war took it from him. “I was leading the patrol that. There was a guy waiting in the bush or hiding, he pressed the button and blew me up,” Jeffries said of an IED explosion in Afghanistan. That explosion took his legs and his will to live. “I didn’t really want to go out in public or be seen by anybody. I was a little embarrassed being in a wheelchair with no legs,” explained Jeffries of his return to America. When he got back to the U.S, the Semper Fi & America’s Fund reached out. “When I first got injured, The Fund was there,” said Jeffries of Semper Fi &America’s Fund. The Fund helped Jeffries get him his service dog, Echo. They are currently helping Tyler and his wife, Lauren, in their IVF journey. “They just helped me in many ways and helped me become a better person,” Jeffries said. That generosity and a fishing trip, inspired Jeffries to start a nonprofit of his own. “After I was blown up, in a real bad spot, was the first time I went deep sea fishing, and I wanted to share that experience with others,” explained Jeffries. His nonprofit, Hookin’ Veterans, brings wounded vets on deep sea fishing trips free of charge. Jeffries has helped others like him find therapy in nature, a new hobby, and sometimes a newfound sense of purpose. “If  I take 15 guys out on a fishing trip, if even one of them gets even a portion of what I got from it, I consider that a win,” Jeffries said of helping others.