For vets struggling to readjust to civilian life, fitness offers new beginning

So many veterans struggle to readjust to civilian life after returning home. FitOps aims harness their leadership and develops them into personal trainers.

Rachel Rugato always knew she was meant for something bigger than herself. At age 17, she enlisted in the Marine Corps. It was a calling that gave her life purpose, she said. “They had a warrior mentality and a fighting spirit that I resonated with so deeply,” Rugato told “Nightline.” “It encompassed so much of my life, my childhood. It had all of the aspects and components that I needed to fulfill who I was as a person. And you had the family, you had the camaraderie.” In 2011, she deployed to Afghanistan as a radio operator. As the Pentagon began to downsize troops, Rugato said she was discharged after four years of service. She says she was denied reenlistment due to the tattoo policy, which prohibited Marines from showing their ink in uniform. “I was like, man, I can't lose my career. I put everything into this. Everything I am as a person, this is all I ever wanted, this is in my whole heart and soul,” she said. “I have 20 years planned out for myself and I got so scared in that moment that I spoke out. And I said, ‘Sir, I’m a damn good Marine. I deserve to be here.’ And he looked up from his paperwork at me and said, ‘You were a good Marine.’ Boom denied. And it was such a heart wrenching experience for me.”