Stories Behind the Lens | Laura Schroeder Photography

A LITTLE STORYTELLING

Wellness Day

Jun 29, 2025

Wellness Day While diving is at the heart of Dagger Dive, “wellness” is one of the foundations and building blocks to healing in all ways; mind, body, and spirit. Wellness is woven throughout the week through physical therapy sessions, mentoring, and counseling that is available to anyone interested.Due to diving regulations, participants must take a break midweek to allow their bodies time to safely regulate the gases from compressed air. Wellness Day, held on Day 4, was ...

Community Ties that Run Deep

Jun 24, 2025

The community of Key West has been incredible since Day 1 ~ so many years ago now! Yes, there’s a strong military presence with both the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard here, but the support goes far beyond that. From the very beginning, the people of Key West have welcomed our team of volunteers and the families we serve with open arms.Over the years, deep relationships have formed and continue to grow. Like so many military communities, Key West has become an extension of ...

Getting in the Water

Jun 15, 2025

Getting in the WaterEver since the inaugural Dagger Dive in 2011, the Special Forces Underwater Operations School (SFUWO) has generously allowed Task Force Dagger (TFD) to use its facilities for poolside dive training. The key is to fit our time in between the school’s regularly scheduled training exercises.For many of the participants—especially those who trained here during their military careers—coming back with their spouse and children can feel a little surreal. What was ...

Kids Camp

Jun 08, 2025

The Best Kids Camp EVER! If you ask me what the #1 must-have is for another amazing week of Dagger Dive, my answer comes quickly and with zero hesitation. It is our incredible Kids Camp team!Yes, the diving is core to the week and the reason why we are all here. Yes, the connections and the healing moments under the water are what bring families back year after year. But let’s be honest—none of that can happen if the parents in the water are constantly worried about where ...

Our Connection to Dagger Dive!

Jun 01, 2025

So Excited for Dagger Dive 2025!This may end up being a long blog post… or maybe I’ll be kind and share this story across several entries. :-) It’s just such a meaningful one to tell.You might know that I’m a military wife—specifically, a wife to a Green Beret, a Special Forces operator. We, like many others, weathered countless deployments—beginning with the initial invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11. Deployments weren’t new, but the stress of war ...

Fresh Look, Deeper Stories! Welcome to my Blog!

May 26, 2025

Welcome to the New and Improved Laura Schroeder Photography Website!Many of you who know me, know I almost always have a camera slung over my shoulder. Storytelling through the lens has been part of my life since I was a kid. Years ago, when our son was about two, I had a business plan written and ready to go—but life, as it often does, had other plans.The life of a mother, a military wife, and a professional in landscape architecture kept my plate full. Though the timing wasn’t ...

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