BTM291 – Harold Skelton – Fishing for the Mission 22

Harold F. Skelton III is the founder of Fishing For The Mission 22, a veteran-led nonprofit built on a simple belief: healing can begin on the water. For many veterans, a single day of fishing is the first step toward lasting support at the organization's community resource center in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. There, veterans and their families find peer connection, behavioral health resources, transitional programming, scholarships to retrain for careers in the marine industry, and much more.

Harold grew up in Holyoke, Massachusetts, an old mill city known for its grit and its tradition of public service. The hardships of that community taught him that duty is personal, and he was raised to honor his legacy through action: showing up, doing the work, and lifting others as he climbs. He lives by the golden rule of his grandfather, a retired police chief and Korean War veteran: never look down on anyone unless you are lending them a hand up.

After earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Harold enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2005. Stationed in Texas and Colorado Springs, he deployed to Iraq multiple times. Late in his service, he earned a master's degree and taught as adjunct faculty at Central Texas College while pursuing his doctorate and moving toward a position with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Like many who have served in combat, Harold carried the hidden scars of war. After his final deployment in 2010, he was medically retired due to post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions. The loss was profound: his identity, his career, his camaraderie, and his sense of purpose. He reached a crisis point that led to a suicide attempt and a three-day hospitalization. Recovery was neither quick nor easy, and it came after years of isolation and depression. During that time, Harold became a full-time single father to his two children, Harry and Daisy. In 2021, he moved his family to Cape Cod, where he had no friends or family, to build a better life for them and for himself, and to begin laying the groundwork for an organization dedicated to those who have served our nation and our communities.

Today, Harold is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran who turns his own experience with PTSD, depression, and isolation into a mission that saves lives: one conversation, one cast, and one day at a time. Through Fishing For The Mission 22, he has built a community where stories are safe, stigma is challenged, and healing is possible.