A nonprofit that promotes camaraderie between veterans through polar plunges and outreach has expanded its horizons in 2024. For his work, The Frozen Chosen founder Luke Opp was recently honored by Gov. Greg Gianforte's office.  

This past year, the Frozen Chosen dove into a project to remodel a home for a local veteran with disabilities. Though its members have always raised money for local veterans in need, it’s their biggest project to date, according to Opp.  

He was among four Flathead Valley veterans to receive the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation last week on Veterans Day. The awardees will be celebrated in 2025 with an award ceremony, according to governor’s office. Each will receive a special commemorative flag flown over the Montana State Capitol building.  

The award recognizes “outstanding Montana veterans" who served the United States in uniform and made a positive impact on their community, according to the Governor’s Office.   

Opp, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who lives in Bigfork, said it’s humbling to be honored with the award and thanked his wife Amanda for nominating him.  

“I’m so blessed that my amazing wife took time out of her busy schedule to submit it for me, I’m not one to seek affirmation like that, but she does for me and I'm so fortunate to have her by my side,” Opp said.  

Opp works as a building contractor and has been remodeling a house in West Kalispell for Warren Childs, a fellow U.S. Marine Corps veteran who was left with a progressive neurological condition after an explosive hit his truck in Afghanistan in 2009. Opp said they raised around $20,000 for Childs’ renovation with a Four Miles to Freedom fun run and auction at Happy’s Inn in July. They are continuing to raise funds for the project, with Opp also donating his time and skills to get it completed.  

He said they’ve been given a lot of support from the community and local businesses. Black Rifle Coffee Company sponsors the group, supplying them with free coffee after they emerge from a cold Flathead Lake. The weekly polar plunges still remain a cornerstone of the group, as Opp said it’s a way for veterans to connect and meditate on what sacrifice means.  

“But it's not about getting cold water. It's about sacrifice. It's about doing hard things. So in this day and age, I think a lot of people are selfish, not only with their time, but with their finances as well. And so it gives people time to reflect,” Opp said.  

During his service, he worked as a diesel mechanic on amphibious vehicles between 1999 and 2003. He traveled Okinawa, mainland Japan, and spent some time with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit out in the ocean, he said.  

“I got out right before the push into Iraq. I was on duty when 911 happened,” Opp said.  

He was changing a flat tire on the way to a job in 2006 when he was hit by someone who fell asleep at the wheel, leaving him with a titanium rod in his leg. 

“I'd say, you know, at certain times in my life, I could probably be very disgruntled with circumstances, but they're what you make it,” he said.  

Already having dealt with issues from Veterans Affairs, Opp said he got the idea for The Frozen Chosen after he and some friends decided to do a plunge after leaving the gym one morning. He wanted to name it in honor of the U.S. Marines who fought in sub-zero conditions at the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War and use it to help local veterans.  

“The fighting conditions were extreme, and so when you look at it, it was like the ultimate form of sacrifice. The least I can do is name the nonprofit The Frozen Chosen because it kind of reflects the people that go in water as well,” Opp said.  

Even though the group is taking on bigger projects, the board is relatively the same, made up of his wife and seven men, who make time to call in on Zoom or meet briefly at the local VFW hall in between busy schedules.  

“Our summers are busy, and then our falls are kind of slow because everybody's working. But winters start to pick up,” Opp said, adding that 60 people are in attendance during some of their January polar plunges.  

The group will continue supporting local veterans in small ways too, by buying groceries, gas and car repairs. He also just purchased three inflatable plunge tanks with chillers to use in portable plunge parties, a way to bring people together while raising awareness for the group. 

“Some people can't support financially, but they can come support us with the camaraderie, coming to be part of a group ... I'd say we're just another veteran nonprofit, but we’re really not. We're a veteran nonprofit with a hobby,” Opp said.  The group does plunges during the week at 5:30 a.m. and on Saturdays at 7:45 a.m. at Wayfarers State Park in Bigfork. A full schedule and more information about the group can be found at www.thefrozenchosen.com.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.