Navy Veteran that served from 1994-1998, avid hunter, outdoorsman, athlete and dedicated supporter of America’s armed forces. Jason is a successful tenured production manager with established companies such as Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Vigor Marine as well as other organizations. Determined to provide the resources and business acumen needed to build strategic partnerships and enable fully supported hunts for our service-connected disabled veterans. Jason knows what sacrifice, dedication and successes are all about and will bring these positive characteristics to Outdoors for our Heroes and our service-connected disabled veterans.
Tony has spent his life enjoying a multitude of outdoor activities as often as possible while passing on the tradition to those close to him. He has a passion for shooting sports and archery, and loves big game hunting for elk, bear, and deer or taking game birds like grouse, pheasant, and ducks. He enjoys hiking and using motorcycles, ATVs, and 4x4s to access remote high mountain lakes for trout and kokanee as much as heading for the ocean, rivers, lakes, or Sound for salmon, walleye, sturgeon, crab, and Hood Canal shrimp. His wife Karen is a pro with a razor clam shovel rounding out the fun at the beach with their family and friends.
Tony has high respect for what it means to be out there in terms of fellowship, safety, conservation, and the value of the food he brings home. He spends time each year volunteering with organizations such as Trout Unlimited to put on free kids fish-ins. He also gets a lot of satisfaction knowing both his son and daughter have followed in his footsteps staying active with all things outdoors like hunting, fishing, camping, and playing in the snow or on the water. Tony is especially proud that they were both able to serve and asked back multiple years to be counselors with the local kids fly-fishing academy.
In his career of over 25 years with the Washington State Department of Transportation as a technical engineer and traffic operations manager, he has forged great relationships with partners in law enforcement, emergency services, and with the military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Camp Murray, and Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. This makes his participation and commitment to Outdoors For Our Heroes an easy fit when it comes to finding ways to help give back and honor those who have sacrificed much and served in so many ways.
The following Outdoors For Our Heroes board members bring diversity and an unrivaled passion for our Military veterans and the outdoors. Their commitment to the community, military, God and country makes them a great fit for the OFOH family.
Army Staff Sergeant (RET)
Ryan Caldwell (RET) was raised in Olympia, Washington before joining the Army in 1992. Over the next thirteen years, he served our country through multiple deployments including Mogadishu Somalia (1993), the invasion of Haiti (1995) and in Bosnia (1997 / 1999).
In 2004 he deployed again to Iraq where his team was attacked by a suicide car bomber while on patrol. Ryan was awarded Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained. This incident along with multiple other combat-related injuries resulted in a medical retirement in 2005.
Shifting from able-bodied warrior to wounded veteran was a difficult transition and the first several years Ryan struggled to cope, became angry and even suicidal at times. Although he had been a long time outdoorsman and fishing enthusiast, Ryan had lost his hunger and passion to plan his own adventures.
In the midst of his darkest days he was invited on a fly-fishing event for veterans in Montana. This trip rekindled his passion for the serenity found on the water and helped him begin to emerge from his depression and leave suicidal thoughts in his wake.
Ryan has used this experience to develop Got Your 6 Fishing, an organization dedicated to helping fellow veterans use this hobby as an avenue for physical and emotional healing.