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“Every time I hit the water, I go he-he-he,” McCumiskey said. “I never realized they could literally hear me from the boat laughing underwater as I'm going down through my bubbles. It totally brings me back to life.”

The program provides essential water therapy for those who need it. Jared Lemon, 39, from Temecula, California, lost an arm during his second deployment with the Army in Afghanistan. He said he struggles with phantom limb pain and PTSD.

“The second I go underwater -- Boom!! It goes away,” Lemon said. “It is straight up therapeutic and when I come up, it's like a reset before the pain begins to build back up again.”

\"PHOTO:
Gene Shabinaw
PHOTO: U.S. Army veteran Jared Lemon dives off the coast of Long Beach, Calif.
>

Therapy isn’t the only factor that brings the group together. Many veterans say the program lets them experience the camaraderie they felt while serving. Mike Randell, 50, from Las Vegas, is a Gulf War veteran who has been a part of Dive Warriors for three years now. He drives more than four hours each way just to be a part of the mission.

“It’s an extremely special bond,” Randell said. “A lot of us have the same injuries. We understand the pain, the horror, the misery each of us experienced. It's about the team here and it gave me a whole new outlook on life. Dive Warriors really saved my life.”

\"PHOTO:
Gene Shabinaw
PHOTO: A Dive Warrior participant gives a thumbs up while jumping in the water off the California coast.
>

A recent government study found veteran suicide on the rise in the United States and a rate of death much higher than the civilian population. More than 6,000 veterans took their lives in 2017 alone, a 6% increase than the year before. Dive Warriors hopes to change that by providing a support network that veterans feel they can rely on.

“You build a special bond because you're back to your military mindset,” McCumiskey said. “You got their six no matter what happens. That's your battle buddy right there. When you get that call at 3 o'clock in the morning because somebody's suicidal that night, you're able to talk them off the ledge because of that relationship and military mentality built from dives like this.”

\"PHOTO:
Gene Shabinaw
PHOTO: Dive Warriors swim in an underwater kelp forest off the coast of California.
>
\"PHOTO:
Gene Shabinaw
PHOTO: Two Dive Warriors pose for a photo in an underwater kelp forest.
>

If you’d like to find more information on Dive Warriors, head to their website.

If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

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