About Nautical Salute

Why Nautical Salute? The journey home from military service is often far more challenging than the journey into it. For many veterans, the battles do not end when they leave the field; they continue in the mind and spirit. While the uniforms are stored away, and the medals are displayed on shelves, the invisible wounds of war—PTSD, depression, anxiety, and the profound sense of isolation—can linger for years. Navigating civilian life after service can feel like being adrift at sea with no clear course.

Nautical Salute offers a compass to help these heroes find their way back to peace, connection, and purpose. Leadership At the heart of Nautical Salute is Shawn Hibbard, a combat Army veteran who intimately understands these struggles. After serving in Afghanistan and experiencing the difficulties of reintegration firsthand, Shawn found solace and healing in an unexpected place: the water.

Shawn’s vision for Nautical Salute is born from a deep desire to help fellow veterans reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with the natural world. Through therapeutic boat excursions, Shawn and his team provide veterans with an opportunity to step away from their daily challenges and immerse themselves in an environment that promotes healing, camaraderie, and reflection.

This program, Nautical Salute: A Therapeutic Approach to Honoring Our Heroes, utilizes the understanding the power of water-based therapy and how it can offer veterans a new way forward. We explore the science, stories, and strategies behind Nautical Salute and demonstrate how the simple yet profound act of being on the water can heal deep emotional wounds.

Whether you are a veteran, a family member, a mental health professional, or someone who supports the veteran community, our program will illuminate the path to healing through the transformative experience of nautical therapy. NAUTICAL SALUTE A Therapeutic Approach to Honoring Our Heroes.

Now, I we do this alone. Yes, I have the vision and leadership for the program, but it will require volunteers and financial support to lift not only the local program to its feet and maintain a forward movement, but also as we assist other chapters around the county as they begin their own Nautical Salute chapters. Join me. Join us. Let’s talk on the phone or over coffee or lunch. Together, we can make a difference for our heroes.

Reach out to me at naticalsalute@gmail.com

– Shawn Hibbard