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Sparks recalled how on their first mission, to the Cayman Islands, Oz \"immediately wanted to jump on the boat … his desire to be there with me was overwhelming.\"

They jumped into the water to snorkel around some coral reefs.

\"The ocean was teeming with fish,\" Sparks said.

Oz was gleeful.

The missions have been therapeutic for Oz, helping him cope with his disability while creating a sense of identity, Sparks said.

Oz has connected with this disparate community of military vets like his Dad, and the environmental team that have joined together to save our endangered animals and the environment.

\"PHOTO:
Courtesy Force Blue
PHOTO: Force Blue team member Oz Sparks, center, assists Loggerhead Marinelife Center's Director of Research Justin Perrault, left, and lead scientist from The Turtle Hospital Bette Zirkelbach with collecting a diatom sample from a green sea turtle.
>

In the end, Sparks said, Force Blue has been his salvation. Since he transitioned out of the military about a year ago, the program has \"become the way forward, for myself and my family.\"

\"In the camaraderie and in the process we're involved in and making new friendships, that's healing ... that's mercy, or as close as we're gonna get,\" he said.

Force Blue has helped him learn how to cope with his service-related PTSD, find a sense of purpose after the military, and help him reconnect with his family.

Sparks reflected that it's \"important for us to heal others to heal ourselves ... We need to give our pain purpose ... That's the power of this [program] ... to serve something larger than ourselves.\"

Sparks compared this healing process to Homer's \"Odyssey.\"

\"At some point,\" he concluded, \"we need to sail home to ourselves … from those experiences. Force Blue and the things that we're doing certainly feel like sailing home.\"

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