Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By: SEAN ROCCA

For The Washington Daily News

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation recognized Joel McDaniel as Sportsman of the Year. This is because he is the founder and CEO of Operation Resolute, a non-profit organization based out of Belhaven.

“I am very humbled to have received the award,” McDaniel said. “I really appreciate the recognition for the work Operation Resolute has done for the community.”

Operation Resolute is known for connecting people in the military with their local chaplains. It began in 2008. McDaniel had a small non-profit organization that would provide fishing equipment to soldiers overseas.

“My friend was deployed in Iraq and he said they could do some fishing during their downtime. We started providing some equipment with the hope of connecting soldiers that were abroad,” McDaniel said.

In 2012, McDaniel switched the focus of the non-profit to helping soldiers become reacquainted with being home after being overseas. He did this by working with the military chaplains. This was the first evolution of Operation Resolute.

A year later, they became solely focused on North Carolina. The purpose then was to give soldiers a chance to get to know their chaplains through outdoor excursions.

“We set up various events, mainly hunting and fishing trips. Our team sets everything up. We reach out to the chaplains about the events and they are responsible for connecting with their people and bringing whoever is interested out to a trip,” McDaniel said. Since 2013, they have put on 235 events with almost 7,000 military personnel.

The Operation focuses on active-duty military personnel from all branches. McDaniel said the hope is that by connecting the active duty members with the chaplains, they will have an outlet to help with the stresses of being in the military.

They put on 24-30 events every year. Besides hunting and fishing trips, these events also include turkey hunts, banquets, and weekend retreats.

McDaniel’s wife Kimberly, who is also involved with Operation Resolute, said they have plans to ramp up the number of events they put on. “We are building a lodge that will be right on the Pungo and will have 8-10 bedrooms and bathrooms. We plan to host more events at the lodge such as family events or other retreats,” Kimberly said. They both expect the lodge to be done next year.

Joel said they hope to add more states to Operation Resolute. He said this fall they will begin operations in Georgia and hopefully Texas shortly after. He needs more land and volunteers to continue to grow Operation Resolute, but he is hopeful for the future.

“We have only scratched the surface. I believe we will continue building this in other states and it has been amazing to see it grow. We want people in the military to keep connecting with their chaplains and getting the help they need. I know we are on the right track,” McDaniel said.