Gold Rush 's Fred Lewis Calls Transition from Military to Civilian Life 'One of the Hardest Things'

Discovery Channel

Fred Lewis is opening up about the difficulties he experienced after leaving the military.

The Gold Rush star, who leads a team of all veterans on the hit Discovery series, is now in his third year of mining. But long before he joined the business, Lewis served in the Army for 14 years.  He then struggled to adjust after he left.

"My transition from the military to civilian life was one of the hardest things I've experienced," Lewis tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I went from the top of the food chain to the bottom in many ways. The culture of military life is different. Civilians are different from soldiers and adapting to this over a short period of time while learning to deal with new disabilities and trying to fit in in a world that's foreign to you is immensely complicated."

Lewis adds, "Most vets, myself included, don't want anyone knowing they are struggling so this is often dealt with alone."

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Discovery Channel

For several years, Lewis attempted to reacclimate before he attended an adaptive sports camp in Tampa that wound up changing his life.

"For the first time since my discharge from the army I saw other vets that I knew and served with, vets that were in similar or worse of situations than I was, yet they were thriving," he explains.

"Being with them and hearing their stories inspired me and changed the way I looked at life," he continues. "After that camp, I focused on health and fitness, stopped taking the handfuls of pills I was taking every day and pushed myself to truly recover. This confidence got me to [be on] American Ninja Warrior as a contestant twice and although I didn't do well, it proved to me I could do more. I then received the call to go with Gold Rush team leader Parker Schnabel to Papua New Guinea as a medic and security guy and the rest is history."

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Now, Lewis leads a crew of all veterans as they search for gold on his remote claim on California Creek.

"I know during my transition from the military I could have used something like this," says Lewis. "There were several occasions I look back on and realize had someone only believed in me I could have done better. The biggest thing is you can rely on vets. They are hard workers and thrive on challenge which is perfect for gold mining. Lastly, I just want to be around people like me and be inspired by my peers."

Lewis spends Veteran's Day the same way each year. "I check in on all my friends and make sure they are all doing well," he shares. "And thank them for serving."

Gold Rush airs Fridays on Discovery.

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