TAMPA, Fla. — A Bay Area man has turned the lessons he learned from life in the military, and then life after the military, into an organization helping veterans called Stairway for Heroes.
Melvin Azofeifa joined the Navy in 2008 and said he loved the experience.
“It was hard work. You do the things you need to do. They tell you what you need to do. Volunteering, working,” Azofeifa said, adding that the structure of the Navy allowed him to thrive. “I did well. I made chief in the Navy in less than eight years.”
But lengthy deployments kept him away from his wife and children, and that wasn’t working for his family.
“I didn’t realize the damage it was doing back home,” Azofeifa said.
So, Azofeifa left the Navy. But life after the Navy was difficult. At first, he had a difficult time getting a good job. He said he became so depressed that he considered taking his life.
“I contemplated it,” he said. “I told my wife, ‘Why am I here?’”
But then Azofeifa started playing golf with a friend and it gave him a new lease of life. He said it was a combination of a fun activity out in the sunshine, and the camaraderie.
“I learned to focus on the right things,” he said. “More focus on what is bringing positivity to my life instead of focusing on things I cannot control.”
Azofeifa said he started Stairway for Heroes to provide that same benefit for other veterans. Those include lots of golf outings and other monthly activities to get veterans connected with each other. On a recent evening, the group hosted an evening of simulated golf at The Back 9 in Carrollwood.
Azofeifa said the vets get to know each other and talk about things only they would understand.
“We are able to connect right away and understand what a person has gone through,” he said.
Azofeifa encourages vets to find friends who can help them through life’s struggles.
“Find your lane. Don’t stay home,” he said. “Don’t do what I was doing. Don’t isolate. Don’t, don’t do it.”