OUR STORY
OUR STORIES
Below, I would like to introduce you to two amazing Veterans: Gabriel “Gabe” Accardi and Karl “Junior” Whiteman. Both have so much in common:
Both served in the US Navy.
Both returned from their service to America with seen and unseen medical conditions.
Both understood what they lost when they separated from the Navy.
Both knew that there are many Veterans who are suffering like them.
Both were “men of action” and had a mission or two they wanted to accomplish.
Both spent time under the water.
I am so thankful that I met both Gabe and Karl and they let me be a part of their missions to give back to those who served. It’s amazing how small the world is and how connected we are. Undersea Warriors will continue the mission to help disabled
Veterans and honoring both Gabe and Karl!
Gary Roskin
Co-Founder & President
Undersea Warriors, Inc.
Co-Founder
Panthers Warriors Hockey Program
GABRIEL “GABE” ACCARDI
Gabriel “Gabe” Accardi grew up in Glenn Falls, NY. He played Ice Hockey and baseball growing up. But Hockey was his favorite and playing goalie was his position. He was a member of 2 New York State High School Championships teams (with his brother Pete), played in College (Northeastern and Oswego State, with his brother Pete) and then as an adult on the 2019 USA Hockey Adult National Champion Tier 2 team.
Upon graduating from Oswego State, Gabe enlisted in the US Navy and applied to BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), the training program to become a US Navy SEAL. Only 2-3 out of 10 who enroll successfully become a SEAL. Not only did Gabe graduate from BUDS, but he was also a founding member of SEAL Team 10, known as a Plank Owner. After his career in the SEALS, Gabe spent 3 years as a contractor for a private military company.
Gabe was an American Hero and as “Bad Ass” as they come! However, Gabe had a 100% disability rating from the VA and with that, had to deal with the mental and physical effects from his service. Gabe was a quiet guy who was always thinking about helping other Veterans and helping to overcome whatever they were dealing with.
In addition to trying to start a retreat for Veterans, Gabe wanted to start a USA Hockey Warrior Hockey Program (USA Hockey Disabled category), here in South Florida for disabled veterans and wanted the Florida Panthers to be his partner. Warrior Hockey is a program under the USA Hockey Disabled Disciplines that offer veterans an opportunity to get recreational therapy and comradery through playing ice hockey.
Gabe and I met in 2018 at the ice rink in Pompano Beach, Florida. Someone at the rink told me that there was a new goalie in town, and he was a Navy SEAL. Always looking for goalies for our adult hockey league, Gabe was a great find! He was a quiet guy and didn’t say a whole lot, unless you became friends, which we did.
Gabe shared how the men and women who protected our freedoms and the American way of life were affected by the job they did. So many returning vets have severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and emotional stress from their service. Mental illness is not something you see and usually is not talked about.
The loss of being part of a team and the structure of the military effects returning Veterans in different ways. These tough men and women are experiencing conditions upon their return to a civilian life without a plan or a team that few of us civilians are
aware of.
Gabe introduced me to the USA Hockey Warrior program and wanted to start a program in South Florida. He was hopeful the Florida Panthers would get involved. Gabe asked if I would be interested in helping, and I told him “I was in”. I was confident that the Florida Panthers, under new ownership, Vincint Viola a West Point graduate and Veteran and the Panthers commitment to Veterans as part of the Florida Panthers Foundation, would be interested is supporting a Panthers Warrior program, and together we could get this done!
Together, we made application with SAHOF (the USA Hockey Florida affiliate) and the Florida Panthers Community Champions Foundation for grants to provide initial funds for the program.
On September 4th, 2019, we received news that we were accepted by SAHOF as a Warrior Team and that the Florida Panthers Community of Champions Foundation had approved our grant request! In addition, the Panthers Warriors are a sub-license of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club which allows the incorporation of the Florida Panthers logo as part of the Panthers Warriors logo.
Unfortunately, Gabe passed away earlier that day, on September 4 th , 2019, and was not able to hear the news that we accomplished our initial mission. We were devastated that Gabe will not be in the net, making amazing saves and leading us to victories.
However, we knew that we needed to wipe our tears away and continue our mission to begin the Panthers Warriors Hockey Program, honor Gabe’s legacy and get to Las Vegas for the 2019 Warrior Classic.
Not only did we make it to our 1st tournament, but we came back as Tier 2 Champions, too!
It is now 5+ years since the Panthers Warriors inception. The program is a big success and will continue helping Veterans “Heal Through Hockey”.
As 2025 approached, the current leadership of the Panthers Warriors is strong and doing a great job. After having a discussion with the corporate board, we decided to separate from a hockey program and transition the 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation to another recreational activity SCUBA diving. I have been a certified SCUBA diver since 1991 but have spent most of my time on the frozen water and not under it.
Through the Undersea Warriors SCUBA Diving program, we will help disabled Veterans experience the healing benefits that SCUBA diving provides for those suffering with PTSD, TBI, Depression, Anxiety and Sexual Trauma. We will build a family of Veterans who will enjoy meeting other Veterans who are suffering the same and make new friends as we grow this family and the experiences of spending time under the water and seeing all of the wonderful creatures in the ocean.
To learn more about the science and benefits, read testimonials from members, please take a look around the site pages. I am as excited to begin the Undersea Warriors SCUBA Diving program here in South Florida, as I was as a Co-Founder or the Panthers Warriors Hockey program!
KARL “JUNIOR” WHITEMAN
Undersea Warriors was originally founded by a 20-year Navy Veteran, Karl Whiteman, call sign “Junior” in San Antino, TX .
Karl knows first-hand the struggles related to PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety and a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Families, who are often forgotten about, also suffer from the invisible wounds of war.
Karl’s wife, Patti, son, Dakota, and daughter, Kaylinn, know first-hand the suffering one goes through daily with PTSD, are intimately affected by it, which drives their own personal mission to find a cure or if a cure is not found, to significantly reduce symptoms, in-order-to create a more enjoyable life.
It was a Discover Scuba class that Karl went on that opened his eyes to the benefits of SCUBA therapy and fueled the desire to use it to heal fellow Veterans. This desire to heal those who served and now suffer from PTSD, anxiety or depression is what motivated the Whiteman family to create the Undersea Warriors.
Karl is a Master Scuba Diver and working on becoming a professional diver by completing the Dive Master qualification. He completed Merchant Marine Credentials qualifying him as a Master Charter Boat Captain. He received his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelors in Management from Wayland Baptist University.
It was a post on our (the Panthers Warriors) communication Band App about “this guy” in San Antonio Texas who was offering to get Veterans SCUBA certified. I was 2.5 years into the Panthers Warriors and knew I wanted to do more for Veterans than hockey.
Karl was doing all of this in San Antonio Texas, not close to any ocean. So, I called Karl and asked, do you have a chapter in South Florida? I live 12 minutes from Deerfield Beach and I have been SCUBA certified since 1991. We had a great conversation and over the next 2 years we kept in touch to talk about hockey and even his interest in starting a USA Hockey Warriors program in San Antonio.
Karl found that this amazing program he developed had gotten to be difficult to manage in San Antonio and life has its challenges. The Panthers Warriors now a mature program and always growing, and I thought it would be a good time to use the experience I gained with the Panthers Warriors, with Karl’s blessing and board approval, we change our mission of our non-profit to help another group of disabled Veterans with a recreational therapy program that I was also familiar with, SCUBA diving. I have been a NAUI certified diver since 1990.
Karl had discovered the benefits of SCUBA for those suffering from TBI, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and Sexual Trauma from their military service, but Karls’s time needed to be spent on his family, and I didn’t want all of Karl’s work to go away. So, Karl, said OK for the program he invested so much in, helped so many and shared with others to be continued in South Florida and Poplar Bluff Missouri.
Together Isaac and Zach in Poplar Bluff, myself and other Veterans and Civilians in South Florida will keep Karl’s mission of the Undersea Warriors alive and growing!