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David Nicholas: This week, 13 children, whose family members were killed in action during their military service, have been under the waters of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena. Force Blue, a nonprofit group of retired Navy SEALs and other military veterans, have been at Thunder Bay teaching the youth how to take care of the Great Lakes as part of their conservation school. The 13 members of Gold Star families came from across the country learning scuba diving skills and exposing them to career possibilities in marine science, water conservation, and more. I had the chance earlier today to catch up with Stephanie Gandulla from Thunder Bay to learn more about a very unique partnership.
Stephanie Gandulla: This program is called the Ocean Conservation School, where they take youth who are from Gold Star Families, so families that have lost a family member in service. These youth have come to the Force Blue organization and they're going to be learning to scuba dive. And like you said, it's really exciting. Today culminates in a week-long scuba certification program with the Force Blue veterans who are using the sanctuary and Alpena as their base to do this really special, important program.
DN: Do they do this elsewhere also?
SG: They have done this school, the Ocean Conservation School, for a number of years in a bit warmer places in the Florida Keys. But when the Force Blue team came here for their tour of duty stop in September of 2024, they just fell in love with Northeast Michigan. They fell in love with the community. They fell in love with the resources the sanctuary has here, the visitor center, our marine technology testing tank, and of course those shipwrecks that are amazing pieces of our shared American history. And that's where those students are learning to dive today. They're actually getting their final certification dive on one of those sanctuary shipwrecks.
DN: Where are the 13 young people? Where have they come from? All from Michigan or elsewhere.
SG: The youth that are participating in this program in partnership with Force Blue and the Marine Sanctuary are from all over the US: from Alaska, from Washington State, from Florida, of course, some from the Great Lakes region. They've come from all over. What's really neat is those folks from outside the Great Lakes had never been here before, so what a special way to introduce them to the wonderful resources we have here.
DN: How do they connect? Is it that shared link to the service, to the military, that they're able to connect with the feelings and the experiences of these young people?
SG: I really think you hit the nail on the head there, David. This is creating an atmosphere of camaraderie and really celebrating the concept that service never stops. And it's creating this community for these young people that have experienced the worst thing, losing a family member in service, but that this community is with other service members and with other students experiencing the same thing and just really how they can have that community and move forward as a community from this experience.
DN: What might be a hope or a goal to inspire them to try to make some connection with other Gold Star youth? could possibly be a good outcome from everything that they're doing.
SG: Well, what I've witnessed this week with Force Blue and with these Gold Star youth is really seeing the inspiration of what can be and what can happen in their future. They're someplace they've never been before, out on the water, working with these people that have really inspired them and rekindled the connection to our shared natural and cultural resources. So, these students are learning about careers in marine technology and possibly marine science and maybe being inspired to choose an exciting path in such things. The Force Blue folks have done this program for a number of years in Florida, but the experience they've had this week here in Alpina and in the Marine Sanctuary has, I think they're planning on coming back every single year with this program. So that's definitely a sign of success.
DN: It's an exciting one and a meaningful one for these Gold Star youth, the 13 young people that have been with you this week, Stephanie. And Congratulations on bringing that Force Blue partnership together with this and certainly the hope that it will indeed continue and the experiences that these young people have gained from it and the connection, the bonding will continue long after the event as well. Thanks so much for taking the time.
SG: Thank you, David.
DN: Stephanie Gandula is with the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena.
