In the realm of extreme activities, one would be hard-pressed to find a bigger adrenaline rush than skydiving.
However, for a group of veterans in Utah, jumping out of planes thousands of feet in the air provides a few moments of healing and a constructive way to deal with the stress of everyday life.
Leaps of Hope, a nonprofit organization based in Utah, promotes skydiving as a form of therapy for veterans, many dealing with PTSD, and non-veterans who’ve experienced trauma, such as child abuse victims. As a 501(c)3, Leaps of Hope accepts donations and support from corporate sponsors. Several members of the organization’s leadership team are veterans.
Ross Mitchell, the founder of the organization, has seen the positive impact of skydiving firsthand. Mitchell, who grew up with parents who battled addiction, served in the Marine Corps as an infantryman from 2015 to 2019 with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines. Following his stint in the military, Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in emergency medicine and worked as a paramedic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, his hometown.
Not only does skydiving provide a cathartic rush for the veterans who jump together, but it also represents a sense of community, Mitchell said.
“It gives them a sense of belonging, and it gives them a sense of purpose,” Mitchell told KUTV in Salt Lake City.
Mitchell was hooked on skydiving from the first time he made the leap. Skydiving had such a profound effect on him that it changed the course of the veteran’s life.
“It’s one of the most empowering things you can do,” Mitchell said. “In the moment, you’re not thinking about what happened 20 years ago, six months ago or last night.”
The freedom he felt in the sky persuaded Ross to quit his first responder job, move to Utah, become a licensed skydiver and teach veterans how to skydive.
“It gives people the opportunity and the capability to be leaders again,” Mitchell said.
“It’s one of the most empowering things you can do,” Mitchell said about skydiving. “In the moment, you’re not thinking about what happened 20 years ago, six months ago or last night.”
Adrenaline Addiction in the Sky
Chris Henry, a 10-year Air Force veteran, described skydiving as a healthy adrenaline addiction. Since leaving the military not long ago, Henry has struggled to adapt to civilian life.
“When you put the uniform away, you realize it’s you against the world,” Henry said. “It has not been an easy year for me.”
He found solace in skydiving. Each jump provided him with the focus and clarity he was missing in a post-military world.
“In normal day-to-day life, in an office job, you don’t have decisions that could end your life,” Henry said.
Brian Stephens can relate. The Navy veteran served 12 years in a bomb squad and was accustomed to high-pressure moments. But Stephens discovered Leaps of Hope and just recently began jumping out of planes.
“It’s something that lets you be in the moment,” Stephens said.
Being present and simply enjoying the moment can be a powerful relaxation tool for veterans used to feeling overstimulated.
“This is the best type of medicine,” Henry said.
“It’s all the things people crave when they get out of the military,” Stephens said. “You are all in it together.”
Sense of Belonging Returns
For Henry, his search for belonging ended when he found fellow skydivers through the non-profit.
“I started to feel like I was part of the team again,” he said.
Participants are trained before they even set foot on a plane. Most of the training is spent indoors, as veterans feel the rush of skydiving in an enclosed wind tunnel.
“The feeling is the same, and the rush can be the same as skydiving,” Mitchell said.
For some veterans, gliding through the sky is better than sitting on a sofa, talking to a mental health specialist. The activity clears the mind and gives them a pause from their worries.
“This is the best type of medicine,” Henry said.
Henry said skydiving brings back a feeling of camaraderie and a sense of purpose he left behind in the military.
“It’s something I missed that I longed for,” he said.
