Painesville veteran Guy Phillips and three teammates are preparing to take on the ocean this December, when they will begin a 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean in the name of supporting veteran mental health.
The four former service members are set to participate in the World’s Toughest Row Atlantic challenge under the banner of Fight Oar Die, an organization that provides grants and mental health training to support veterans.
Phillips expects the race to take between 45 and 55 days, during which time the rowers will continuously alternate between two hours of rowing and two hours for boat maintenance and personal needs.
The trip will run from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to the Caribbean island of Antigua. During that time, he said that team members will share a 30-foot boat with a couple of cabins. They will rely on wet and dry food, a water desalination system and an emergency supply of water.
Phillips added that the rowers will not be completely isolated from the world, as they will have access to navigation equipment and can use satellite communications to place calls and post to social media.
Race organizers will check in with the team each day, though he said that “rescue is around 18 hours away if you have a major emergency.”
Team members have been working to train and raise money in the lead-up to the row. Phillips noted that participants normally require between one and two years to build strength and practice rowing.
The team also needs to document at least 120 hours of rowing, he added. The four veterans recently practiced in the Grand River, and they plan to complete their training in Alabama’s Mobile Bay. They will row every day in August before sending the boat to the Canary Islands in September.
The Fight Oar Die team has also worked on mental resilience, conflict resolution and ocean navigation, Phillips said.
“I think we all feel pretty confident we can do it physically, it’s more of the mental aspect,” he added.
In addition to the training, Phillips noted that team members need to raise funds. They initially raised $200,000 for training, with about $80,000 going to support Fight Oar Die programs.
He said that one added wrinkle for this year’s team was the need to raise $120,000 to purchase a new boat, as last year’s boat was lost after the team encountered a 30-foot wave. The team members survived.
Phillips added that after the team hits its goal, every dollar raised will go to support the nonprofit. People interested in supporting the team can visit its website at fod23.org and click the “Donate” link.
For Phillips, the journey comes nearly 30 years after he completed his military service. He grew up in Euclid and Painesville, where he graduated from Harvey High School. He entered the military after a year of college, serving in the U.S. Army First Ranger Battalion and the Massachusetts Army National Guard 182nd Infantry Regiment.
He lived in Boston after his service ended in 1996 before returning to Northeast Ohio, working for AT&T and taking on short diving jobs.
“After 9/11, I was into a career with AT&T, I chose not to go back or contract,” Phillips said, adding that he is now able to retire and “give back to the guys who served for the last 20 years.”
“Obviously, I’ll go on to other stuff afterwards, I’m a little young just to flat-out retire all the way,” he added.
He explained that he was recruited by teammate Joe Leach of Apex of North Carolina. Phillips, Leach and fellow rower Craig Foreman of Columbus all served in the First Ranger Battalion, and they will be joined by veteran Dave Figgins of Mount Vernon, Illinois.
“I was getting ready to retire from the military,” Leach said. “I wanted to find my purpose again, find something to help out with and be a part of something bigger.”
The veterans have held a variety of fundraising events ahead of their race. Leach noted the impact that their goal has had on others.
“It’s hard to see how you’re helping other veterans by you rowing the ocean,” he said, adding, “We’ve met so many people now who have told their stories that have given money, given support in whatever way they can, and it is crazy. People crying, talking about people that they’ve lost.”
“To me, the veterans are America’s wounds, and we need to heal those up,” said Foreman. “I think a lot of veterans don’t feel like America cares that much, so we’ve just been out proving that wrong.”
Phillips said that the group plans to hold a fundraiser in the fall at Fairport Harbor’s Pompadour, which is owned by his brother.
He noted that the team members have either personally struggled with mental health or known other veterans who have.
“We all know somebody who committed suicide,” Phillips added.
He noted that the new boat’s name, Resilience, ties to the organization’s work.
“It’s about just having resilience and always knowing there’s next steps, and that your life’s never over and trying to recover,” Phillips said, discussing conversations that he had with Fight Oar Die founder Bryant Knight. “There’s been over 30,000 suicides since 9/11 — veteran suicides, that’s only what’s recorded.”
“It’s really about bringing awareness to the issue, and trying to get the families the help they need, mental health, first aid training, get more people to the field,” he added.
According to its website, Fight Oar Die provides multiple grants for people who are studying to support veteran mental health. It also offers free training courses for mental health first aid.
Phillips said that one goal is to eliminate the stigma of discussing mental health among veterans.
“If we have one guy who says, ‘Hey, I saw what you did, and let’s talk and sit down and talk,’ instead of ending his life, it’s worth it to us,” Phillips said.
More information about Fight Oar Die and links to its social media pages can be found at usvetrow.org, while more information about the race can be found at worldstoughestrow.com.
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