I was a Navy Corpsman for eight years and deployed twice with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, including the invasion of Marjah. In that environment, you end up bonded to men from every walk of life, and it’s a bond I’ve never been able to replicate anywhere since. When you get out and step into the civilian world, there’s a piece of you still reaching for it—the dumb jokes, the heavy pack, everybody complaining about the misery while laughing about it at the same time. I got out there on the Travis Partyka Scholarship. Being chosen for something that carries a brother’s name meant I was handed an opportunity I wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I’m incredibly grateful for it.
Front Country handed that missing piece back to me. Like anyone, I’ve had high periods and low ones, and mental health is something I’ve struggled with in the way a lot of veterans do. For me, one of the hardest parts was simply missing that connection. We’re social creatures, and going without that sense of brotherhood was difficult.
I spent a week out there pushing my body again, skiing great lines, making stupid jokes, and feeling like I was part of something again, all while learning how to travel safely in the backcountry world of skiing. What Cam Fields has built is remarkable. The time, energy, and heart that he and his crew put into Front Country is something truly special. From everyone I met in Jackson Hole who made this trip amazing, I thank you. The experience gave me that sense of connection back, and it made me realize just how much I had actually been missing it. Since I got home, I’ve reached out to guys I served with to reconnect and start planning adventures of our own.
I went out expecting a good week of skiing and learning more about the backcountry world of skiing. I got a lot more than that.
Figgy
2026 Partyka Scholarship Recipient
In the fall of 2021, I came across an NPR article about a small group of dedicated outdoor professionals advocating for outdoor recreation therapy to be recognized by the VA as an approved treatment for PTSD. One name in particular stood out—Cam Fields, whose work in Jackson, Wyoming immediately resonated with me. As a fellow Navy Corpsman and combat veteran, I felt an instant kinship through his story.
At that time, I was emerging from one of the darkest periods of my life. PTSD had taken a heavy toll, and I was struggling to find my footing. The outdoors had always been my refuge, and I knew I needed to reconnect with that part of myself. So, gathering what courage I had left, I wrote Cam and the Front Country Foundation an email titled “Corpsman Up.” To my surprise—and relief—he replied almost immediately. He asked thoughtful questions about my experience, then followed up with a call. Before I knew it, we had worked out dates for me to come out and train. Over the course of five incredible days, I was pushed both physically and mentally. I learned navigation techniques for the vast terrain of the Rockies—terrain very different from the East Coast backcountry I was familiar with. I deepened my avalanche awareness and backcountry safety skills through both classroom learning and real- world practice. I honed my leadership abilities, culminating in planning and leading my own trip on the final day.
The experience was demanding, rewarding, and deeply healing. It reignited my confidence not only in my ability to travel safely and responsibly in the backcountry, but also in who I am as a person and as a veteran. I found camaraderie among others who had walked similar paths through combat and recovery, and for the first time in a long time, I felt supported, understood, and empowered.
The Front Country Foundation gave me more than outdoor skills—it gave me purpose, perspective, and the reminder that adventure can be a powerful force for healing. I’ll be forever grateful to Cam and the team for helping me rediscover both the wilderness and myself.
Luke
2021 Partyka Scholarship Recipient
Once out in the snow Cam becomes a caring, kind, and brilliant teacher pointing out different types of terrain, always on the lookout for avalanche prone situations that may arise. He also is there as a listener, providing me space to open up or allow for my thoughts to have space to exist.
On the last day we had a dinner that Cam had planned with previous years scholarship recipients in attendance. The whole thing was amazing, truly touching knowing that I matter. Cam and the Front Country Foundation have most certainly saved my life on more than one occasion and the fact that this organization exists and provides the level of help and friendship and comradery is immeasurable and I will cherish these friendships and this organization for the rest of my life. I look forward to being at many other trips off the books in the future.
Thank you again Front Country Foundation.
Dicky
2025 Partyka Scholarship Recipient