"It was an experience like no other, to reel in a fish the size of myself". 

Complacency can be a terrible thing. I feel like too often as American’s, American’s at war, we forget that servicemen and women are fighting thousands of miles away for the freedom’s we enjoy on a daily basis. How can we give back for their sacrifices? How does one truly thank a hero that returns home to the United States? South of the border, at RedRum Sportfishing, we created the RedRum Baja Brigade.

Sergeant Chase Gean, from Tucson, Arizona, was our first RedRum Baja Brigade recipient. A veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, Chase was injured during his second tour of duty. While acting as a security detail to the Afghan Army, in an attempt to overtake a small village in a remote Afghani village, Chase’s battalion was ambushed and he was shot 3 times. One of the bullets entered his back and bruised his spinal cord, Chase survived the ordeal but as a result of the injury, at this time he is without the use of his legs.

A fellow founding member of the RedRum Baja Brigade, Noah Ostanik had a chance encounter with Chase during an off-road racing event. After meeting Chase, and learning of his passion for the outdoors, Noah felt he was the perfect choice for our first recipient. Chase Gean and his good buddy and fellow Army Veteran Adam Garcia were our first recipients and we had an amazing experience. Chase and Adam came down in June for 4 nights at our Portofino Condos and 2 days of fishing with Team RedRum. Chase was able to catch and release his first Marlin, enjoy some off-road racing over at Wild Canyon Adventure Park, and even managed to get in some beach-time.

The fishing was great and it fulfilled a life-long dream of Chase’s, but the most special moments for me were when Chase and the rest of us from Team RedRum got to sit around and share stories. My wife Brooke, my father John, and I were enthralled with Chase’s stories from the battle field and beyond. I’m not sure any of us have ever met someone who has fought adversity with so much tenacity.

Please visit the Donations or Gifts in Kind pages of our website for information into how you can help provide another Hero with the experience they’ll never forget.