(DiverWire) Oceanic Worldwide has made a strong commitment to supporting US military members through its popular USA Line. The colorful patriotic products, which are now available in Oceanic stores from coast to coast, help generate funds for military support groups. Last month, Oceanic played a major role in Dagger Dive IV, presented by the Task Force Dagger Foundation.
The group has a great name -Task Force Dagger – and an even better mission, helping veterans and their families recover from recent military conflicts. The non-profit Foundation has taken veterans and their families on various activities around the country and provided many different forms of support. The most recent was Dagger Dive IV, a scuba trip to Key West, Florida for 30 veterans and their families.
“It is a privilege to support the events that honor our “new divers” with disabilities, our American veterans and their families,” said Dan Emke of Oceanic. “It strikes a special place in our hearts knowing this event included the “Gold Star Families”, the widows and children of our fallen soldiers, those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms and way of life.”
According to Keith David of Task Force Dagger, “One might ask how does SCUBA help a family heal? The answer is not simple, but nothing in life is simple. Healing is a process and takes time, but what SCUBA does is give a family an activity that they can do together and it can be as easy or as strenuous as they like.”
Why the Task Force Dagger Name? Task Force Dagger was the designation of the Special Forces elements that conducted the initial invasion into Afghanistan following the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11th, 2001. Task Force Dagger was comprised of elements from the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).
Task Force Dagger is different than some support organizations by serving any soldier or their families that have a need. This includes wounded soldiers and “Gold Star” families who have lost a family member in combat.
According to David, “This is the fourth Dagger Dive event that we have held and the second in Key West. One of the unique aspects of what we do is to include the whole family in the event. This is critical in the families healing process because when the soldier is injured, the whole family is injured and must come to terms with what the new normal is and what their new capabilities will be.”
He continues, “This year, the Gold Star kids and the kids of the wounded soldiers bonded and shared their experiences in a way that brought them closer together and let them know that they are still part of the Special Forces family. With regards to the wounded families, both last year and this year, we saw families come together and accomplish things that they probably never imagined that they could do, much less as a family.”
Dagger Dive IV was sponsored by a number of companies including Dive Key West which provided the diving and Oceanic Worldwide. Oceanic officials plan to support regular programs like Dagger Dive IV which support and help US military members.
Click here for more details on Task Force Dagger. Learn more about the Oceanic product line.
