JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For Navy and Army veteran Leslie De La Serna, the toughest battles didn’t end in Afghanistan — they began when he got home.
De La Serna served in Afghanistan and spent decades in the military. During deployment, he was injured by a mortar impact that left him with a traumatic brain injury.
While his body eventually healed, the mental and emotional scars stayed with him.
“Some of the stuff we go through, you don’t realize how it will affect you until you get back to the States,” De La Serna said.
He spent weeks in a clinic recovering, but it was only later that he truly began to understand the impact war had on his mental health. For two years, he struggled with symptoms of trauma — wounds no one could see.
“You hear the stories before you go, and you don’t think it’ll happen to you,” De La Serna said.
Thankfully, De La Serna found support through the VA and local organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project — a nonprofit dedicated to helping post-9/11 veterans and their families recover from the visible and invisible wounds of war.
The turning point came when he joined the WWP’s outdoor wellness events, including veteran surf camps on the shores of Jacksonville and other outings with other veterans.
“The first time out on the water, you feel like you’re in heaven, basically,” De La Serna said. “It’s unbelievable.”
For him, the experience brought back more than just memories of surfing as a kid. It brought connection.
“As veterans, we’re really close-knit,” he said. “If you see someone struggling, you go over and try to help.”
That sense of camaraderie is exactly what Wounded Warrior Project aims to restore.
“When you bring veterans together, they experience the camaraderie they lost when they left the military,” said Rob Louis, spokesperson for Wounded Warrior Project. “If we can get them back with their community, enjoying all the beauty we have here in Jacksonville, that’s incredibly important.”
WWP’s research shows that water activities — like surfing and paddling — promote relaxation, physical fitness, and emotional well-being. The organization regularly hosts outdoor events that blend mental health support with physical activity, helping veterans reconnect with both themselves and each other.
De La Serna says the excitement of getting back in the water — and doing it with fellow warriors — is its own kind of therapy.
“Just the excitement of getting into the water is in the training itself,” he said.
From combat zones to coastlines, veterans like De La Serna are finding new purpose — one wave at a time.
If you are a veteran who needs the services of the WWP, click here for more information.