FOAR From Home: Nearly $1 Million Raised by Veterans’ Ocean Rowing Feat

He rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. 

On day 44 of their journey across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat, Paul Lore (top row) and his crewmembers pose for a selfie.

Paul Lore, 59 years old, and three other Veterans accomplished this incredible, awe-inspiring feat to raise attention and money to help Veterans struggling with emotional and behavioral health issues. 

The crossing took 51 days, 11 hours and 41 minutes, but Paul Lore says he was not counting the miles. He was counting lives. 

Twenty-two a day is an oft-cited statistic and the name of a movement by veterans’ advocacy groups, referring to the number of US Veterans that die by suicide every day. By his reckoning, Lore says, “We lost 1,000 on our trip.” 

The crossing was more than just a 51-day ordeal, though. Lore, a Marine, and three other men -  A.M. “Hupp” Huppman, Billy Cimino and Cameron Hansen -- each from a different branch of the military -- learned how to row and how to survive emergencies on the ocean, and then put out their own funds to buy a special sink-proof seaworthy rowboat dubbed “Courageous.” 

Then it was time for training -- rowing and more rowing to prepare themselves for the grueling 3,000-mile journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua as part of a 30-team race, the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.  Before, during and after the crossing, Lore’s team, FOAR from Home, raised $910,000 to support Veterans facing emotional and post-traumatic stress issues. 

The funds they raise are going toward two charities: the first, Cross the Line Foundation, is a nonprofit started by Lore and Cimino that provides small grants to Veterans for what Lore calls “now” needs. These are typically used for scholarships for education or training to help Veterans rebuild their lives or follow their dreams.

The second charity, K9s for Warriors, is a national organization that rescues dogs from shelters and trains them as service dogs for Veterans struggling with emotional and mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma. “I like that K9s for Warriors is saving two lives at once – dogs and veterans,” Lore says. “At first, we thought we would raise a few thousand dollars to sponsor 4 or 5 dogs, but as the fundraising began to gather steam, we set a larger goal of $500,000 to build a large kennel to allow training of more dogs.” K9s for Warriors receives the bulk of the money raised by Lore’s FOAR from Home team.

For Lore, every day that passes means another 22 Veterans lost their lives to suicide. This fact gives his fundraising efforts a sense of urgency. “K9s for Warriors has a waitlist of 3 to 5 years. We want to shorten that,” says Lore. 

The website for K9s for Warriors includes links to an impressive list of studies that demonstrate the positive impact of service dogs on the mental well-being of Veterans suffering from service-connected trauma or brain injuries. As the website notes, “The physiological changes service dogs bring about in our warriors enable them to thrive, while limiting or eliminating the need for pharmaceuticals that only help them cope.”

Lore, who served in the Marines in the ‘80s as a combat air traffic controller, says it is important to understand that Veteran suicide is not simply an issue for Veterans with recent combat experience. “Veteran suicide is not just associated with those just coming back to civilian life,” he said. “It still affects Veterans from the Vietnam War. Suicides occur with this groupfrom 20 to 80 years old.”

Lore adds that whether or not a Veteranserves in a combat zone, military life involves extraordinary experiences and stress. “Maybe that person just goes on with their life until the trauma surfaces later – sometimes it is another triggering event, such as a divorce or serious illness. And then it becomes overwhelming,” Lore says. 

Being able to do something to help his fellow “warriors'' is what drives Lore. “I want to rewrite the narrative about Veterans – I want to be affirming about how to prevent suicide by overcoming these problems.” 

The inspiration is leading Lore back to the ocean –this time, a different ocean. He has put together a new four-person team and plans to participate in a 2800-mile Pacific rowing race from Monterey, CA to Kauai, Hawaii in June 2023. His group plans to again raise funds for K9 for Warriors – this time to build housing for Veterans being paired and trained with their service dogs. 

“I am not a rich man,” Lore says. “But I am rich in the time that I have to do this. I just want to help.”

For more information on how to support Lore’s fundraising efforts, visit https://www.crossthelinefoundation.com/