Force Blue is a nonprofit organization made up of veterans transitioning to civilian life.
Jim Ritterhoff is the co-founder alongside veteran Rudy Reyes, who served in the U-S Marines.
“They're service men and women, and they get out of the service and there's nothing to serve anymore.," Ritterhoff said. "That loss of mission, purpose; something serving something greater than yourself is gone.”
Veterans receive five days of dive training when they join the group. Then they do work around the country.
They have helped repair coral reefs off the coast of Florida and will head to New Orleans to help build an oyster reef when the Super Bowl comes to town in February.
But here in the Great Lakes, they did some work over the summer with the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Veterans dove to eight different shipwrecks in Lake Huron installing and removing mooring buoys.
“They also assisted with our fresh water acidification project, with water sampling for that particular project," said Stephanie Gondulla, with the Thunder Bay sanctuary.
The project is studying how the water is changing in Lake Huron which could affect fish feeding behaviors and reproductive abilities, ultimately reducing fish populations.
Veterans with Force Blue also gave two public presentations at Alcona Public Schools about their work at the sanctuary and beyond.
Their next stop in the Great Lakes could be in Lake Michigan. They’re considering a project with the relatively new Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
