Twenty-five veterans a day: That’s how many men and women who’ve served in our armed forces commit suicide on average, according to the 2018 U.S. Department of Defense Annual Suicide Report.
Bobby Somers, 39, a medically retired Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, was almost one of those vets until the FitOps Foundation—and food—saved his life.
During his 13 years of military service, Somers put his body and mind on the line almost every day. And a single grenade, which exploded near his Humvee during a tour in Iraq, left him with a permanent reminder of that service. As a result of his time overseas and that blast, he suffers from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a traumatic brain injury, which affects his memory, shrapnel lodged in his knee, and feelings of depression.
These ailments, combined with a feeling of abandonment from the military, made Somers’s transition to civilian life difficult. He started a job as an Army recruiter, which left him feeling unfulfilled, and he self-medicated as a result. Somers was lost. That is, until he sought a new path in life: culinary school.
“I fell in love with cooking, the chaos in the kitchen,” he says, noting how working as a chef helped him calm down and deal with obsessive tendencies. “It made sense in my brain.”
Though Somers felt a renewed sense of purpose through cooking, his new role as stay-at-home dad left him feeling like less of a man.
A downward spiral began soon after. Regular thoughts of suicide began playing out more and more in his mind. Somers even admits to lining his bathroom with plastic, as it would make it easier for his family to clean up the mess.
“I was really suicidal at this point,” Somers says. “I was just lost. The only thing I knew was being a soldier.”
Thankfully, something stopped Somers from following through on his suicide attempt: his daughter. “I’ve felt the metal of the gun in my mouth before,” Somers states in a video on FitOps’ home page. “But I didn’t do it because I didn’t get to see my daughter that morning.”
It was shortly after that Somers learned about the FitOps Foundation, and decided to apply to the 2½-week program to become a certified personal trainer.
It took some adjustment, but eventually Somers would find himself opening up to his fellow veterans about his war experiences, as well as the details of his suicide attempt. Somers even broke down in tears at one point, his emotions pouring out of him. “This place literally saved my life,” says Somers, who now travels the country to speak about the veteran suicide epidemic.
Unlike the traditional FitOps candidate, Somers bypassed the personal training route to continue his culinary path. Currently, he’s the Director of Nutrition for FitOps.
In the kitchen, Somers pays homage to his Caribbean and Mexican roots, relying on real, fresh ingredients to prepare signature dishes such as his turkey chili with jasmine rice. He refuses to adapt to any fly-by-night trendy diets, preferring to stick with the basics of “protein, carb, and vegetable.” (Though he does whip up a mean vegetarian option for the herbivores at FitOps.)
“It’s just like a workout—there’s so many ways to build your biceps,” Somers says. “But the one true way to do anything is to just get in there and do the basics.”
At camp, Somers is in charge of dispensing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as serving candidates two snacks a day—options like peanut butter, granola, and fruit. His recipes may be basic, but they’re packed with complex flavors, like his turkey chili, barbecue rib-eye steaks, and sautéed vegetables and rice. The key, he says, is to “cook with a lot of love and cook it clean.”
Somers dismisses the notion that all healthy food tastes bad—instead insisting people can be lazy in preparing meals. “You literally boiled a piece of chicken. How good did you think a boiled piece of chicken is going to be?” Somers says. “There’s nothing wrong with mustard or honey or some spices and seasonings. Use some herbs, man!” With a new outlook on life, Somers’ mission is to help and inspire those who have gone through ordeals similar to his.
“I just really like helping people,” Somers says. “Suicide is a big issue. That’s turned into my mission. I want to speak about it and I want to show how food has helped with that stuff.”
<p class='slide-count'>1 of 5</p><img width="1109" height="614" src="/uploadfile/2024/1220/20241220095903533.jpg"><p class="photo-credit">Photographs by Brian Klutch / Food Styling by Susan Ottiviano</p>Breakfast: Egg Whites with Sausage & Bacon and Granola Bowl
SERVES 1
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 oz egg whites
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 sausage patties
- 3 bacon strips
- 2 oz granola
- 3 oz yogurt
- 1 banana
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook egg whites, then lightly salt. Make sure not to brown or burn them.
2. For sausage and bacon, place on a large, parchment paper-lined oven tray. Bake in oven at 325°F for 13 to 15 minutes, or until you see a nice sizzle and a crispy brown color.
3. Scoop granola into a bowl, and top with yogurt, sliced banana and strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
Orange or apple juice is available to staff and candidates during breakfast.
Photographs by Brian Klutch / Food Styling by Susan Ottiviano
Dinner: Turkey Pasta and Roasted Green Beans
SERVES 1
INGREDIENTS:
- Coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz rotini vegetable pasta
- Avocado oil
- 2.5 oz marinara sauce
- 6 oz ground turkey
- Italian seasoning*
- 2.25 oz fresh green beans
- Minced garlic*
- Garlic salt*
- Lime juice
DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill a large stockpot with water. Add coarse sea salt and olive oil.
2. Bring to a rolling boil, then add pasta, constantly stirring for about 11 to 12 minutes (the pasta should be al dente, soft but still firm). Drain and set aside after it has been lightly tossed in some avocado oil (to keep from sticking).
3. While the pasta boils, pour marinara into a medium saucepot and simmer, stirring constantly to keep from burning. 4. Sauté ground turkey and season to taste with Italian seasoning and coarse sea salt. Mix all 3 components together in a deep pan, then set aside.
5. Fill another stockpot halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then add salt and 2 tbsp avocado oil. Drop in green beans and boil for 45 seconds, then toss into a sauté pan that has been preheated with 3 tbsp avocado oil.
6. Sauté green beans in batches with minced garlic, garlic salt (light sprinkle), and a squeeze of lime juice. Toss it around in the pan and it’s ready to serve.
*Somers says he doesn’t measure his seasonings and instead just goes by sight and taste.
Photographs by Brian Klutch / Food Styling by Susan Ottiviano
Turkey Chili with Jasmine White Rice
SERVES 1
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 oz ground turkey
- Garlic salt
- 3 oz mixed vegetables
- Cayenne pepper
- Dark chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- Coarse sea salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Sauté turkey and season with garlic salt.
2. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil. Add mixed veggies, and cover until it comes to a simmer again, then add turkey and seasonings. Let simmer for 15 minutes so the seasonings can break down.
3. To a large saucepot, add avocado oil and jasmine rice. Stir until the rice is coated with oil. Add coarse sea salt. Continue to stir until you smell the nuttiness of the rice (don’t let the rice brown or burn—it will turn a nice bright white), then add water. Let it come to a light boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about 13 minutes. Remove from stove, then fluff with a large serving fork.
Photographs by Brian Klutch / Food Styling by Susan Ottiviano
BBQ Night: Rib-Eye Steak, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and “Bear Taters”*
SERVES 1
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 rib-eye steak
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 oz brussels sprouts
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 slices bacon
- 1 russet potato
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Season steak with garlic and onion powders, black pepper, and sea salt. Store at room temp until time to grill. Then grill steak to medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side, and rest for 15 minutes.
2. Clean and halve brussels sprouts. Add avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread onto oven tray lined with parchment paper, then roast in the oven at 405°F for about 15 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temp to 350°F and cook the bacon for about 30 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. For Bear Taters: Boil potato until a fork pierces it easily. Peel and mash. Place in deep pan with sour cream, butter, and cream cheese, and bake for about 10 minutes. Top with bacon and cheddar cheese.
Note from Bobby: This is the one meal that we let loose with, and sit around laughing, sharing stories, and becoming a true FitOps family.
*Bear Taters are the namesake recipe of Chef Bear of Camp War Eagle.
Photographs by Brian Klutch / Food Styling by Susan Ottiviano
Special Meal for Vegetarian Candidates: Sautéed Vegetables with a Side of Coriander and Annatto Jasmine Rice
SERVES 1
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 brussels sprouts
- ½ sweet onion
- 4 oz carrots
- Avocado oil
- Coarse sea salt
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Portobello mushrooms
- Minced garlic
- Almonds
- Paprika
- Lime juice
- Coriander and annatto
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
DIRECTIONS:
1. Julienne the brussels sprouts, onion, and carrots.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat up 2 tbsp avocado oil. (Note: Never add oil to a cold pan; let it season first.) Add sprouts, onions, and carrots.
3. Sauté for a few minutes, then season to taste with salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Once the onions become transparent, add some roughly chopped mushrooms and 2 tbsp minced garlic.
4. Turn the flame to high, and toss the veg. Do this quickly, as the minced garlic will cause the pan to pop and the garlic can burn very fast. After 45 seconds, toss in 1 tbsp roughly chopped almonds, then dust lightly with paprika and a squeeze of lime juice.
5. To a small pot, add 2 tbsp avocado oil, 2 pinches sea salt, ¼ tbsp coriander, and ¼ tbsp annatto seasoning. Stir in rice until it’s coated in the oil and seasonings. Add water and bring to a light boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 13 minutes.
6. Serve the vegetables over rice.