Riding Life’s Waves

During the summer of 2022, Kevin Laliberte, a 41-year-old retired chief master sergeant who served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force, loaded up his truck with surfboards, firewood, and a plan. 

He was on his way to Grayton Beach to meet a group of veterans he’d only had coffee with individually so far. This unusual outing—on surfboards—was his way to help others who were essentially treading water in their post-military life. “Let’s get in the water and do something as a team,” said Laliberte to each invitee. “It doesn’t matter if you surf or swim. It doesn’t matter if you wipe out.”

Immediately after this first hangout, Laliberte received requests for a sequel. The veterans wanted to stay connected. They were finding a new narrative for life after service.

Laliberte grew this initial brush with surf therapy into Surf Brigade, a 501(c)(3) public charity for veterans. 

This was a bold and strategic move. As a special operations forces liaison or Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), Laliberte directed close air support for nine overseas deployments. Now, his tactical movements execute a different kind of mission: to help veterans learn from each other through surfing and connect with each other around a crackling fire on the beach.

Photos Courtesy of Kevin Laliberte

“Even after the military, a lot of veterans will not get help. Even if they know they can benefit from it and you tell them where they can get it. They just won’t,” said Laliberte. “I stepped back, distilled those conversations, and found the commonalities so I could go into conversations with better answers.”

The commonalities: These men and women were seeking a purpose, a narrative, and a community. 

“When veterans get out of the military, they talk about all sorts of things they didn’t want to talk about while in the service,” said Laliberte. “So when the cap comes off, 20 years of problems spew out.” 

Aided by research on veterans’ concerns, Laliberte—a self-declared “expert at being a veteran”—authored Surf Brigade Workbook: A Surf Therapy Program by Veterans for Veterans. In two sessions each year, participants discover this thrilling curriculum while riding (or crashing into) waves, finding the rhythm of the water, and joining a supportive network to help them “navigate life’s waves with resilience and strength.”

Photos Courtesy of Kevin Laliberte

Each Saturday morning during the five-week session, veterans meet at Santa Rosa Beach for a guided discussion on a key challenge for veterans, followed by a therapeutic surf session with coaches and equipment provided. Men and women with disabilities from mental or physical challenges, even paralysis, have participated.

“On the fifth week, they bring their families out to the beach, and we have the bonfire. Like a military graduation, we recognize their commitment to the team and to themselves,” says Laliberte. “We call them up one by one, and they get a Surf Brigade challenge coin and certificate. Most importantly, they are then part of the brigade.”

Nick Crucet, a 40-year-old Surf Brigade alumnus, retired from the U.S. Air Force as a master sergeant and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) specialist. “I took military personnel at high risk of isolation, those who could be shot down or captured, and taught them how to survive and return home with honor,” says Crucet. “I spent my career in the desert, nowhere near the ocean, and was looking for something like this. I moved down here knowing no one.

“A lot of us joined the military at 18. I don’t remember the person I was in high school,” he says. Crucet found inspiration in reading the story of King Odysseus’ 10-year aquatic journey home after the Trojan war. “Odysseus tried to shed his warrior skin. He’s still a warrior inside, but he wasn’t wearing it on the outside anymore. It’s a simile for me, going from civilian to the military and back to civilian.” 

With Surf Brigade, Crucet found reason to get out of the house—with a community wrapped around it. “I found happiness out there, no watch, no phone. I have the best day afterward …. It’s something I can do by myself, but if I need a community, there are people I can call, share with, and they’ll grab that wave with me.”

Photos Courtesy of Kevin Laliberte

“Surf Brigade is not about surfing; it’s about resilience. Surfing is what gets us together,” says Laliberte. He picked a challenging environment intentionally. “You submit to the idea that you cannot control the waves … if you try to fight them, they can hold you under and create stress.

“However, if you learn how to work with it, the same wave that can hold you under, you can ride.”  

The Gear

Surf Brigade manufactures its own line of boards, leashes, and T-shirts in the USA. These are sold online to fund Surf Brigade programs. Amber Laliberte, Kevin’s wife and a fellow veteran, designed many of their shirt illustrations. As for their logo, Laliberte first drew it on a napkin, and a tattoo artist took it up a notch. “The skull represents the combat nature of the military,” Laliberte explains. “The surfboard is piercing through it, and the poppies […] represent remembrance. The fire coming out of the skull’s eyes represents the intense passion and fiery spirit of our service members, and the outer ring encompasses stars that represent our deep patriotism.”

After winning a pitch at the Military Impact Summit 2025, Surf Brigade received a grant of $20,000. The grant will help the organization procure printing equipment for shirts. In the long term, Surf Brigade would like their apparel to land in sporting and coastal goods stores and coffee shops. 

Sponsor and individual donations are welcomed to fund the Brigade’s curriculum and an upcoming (April 2026) surf retreat for nine veterans in Costa Rica. info@surfbrigade.com or surfbrigade.com